WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as well as some major corporations, have expressed concern about SpaceX’s plan to deploy approximately 30,000 satellites for its Starlink service.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX previously received approval for approximately 12,000 satellites to provide broadband internet service and has requested approval for a second-generation constellation of 30,000 satellites.
“NASA has concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions,” the agency wrote to the Federal Communications Commission.
NASA reported that there are currently 25,000 total objects tracked in orbit, with approximately 6,100 falling below 600 kilometres. SpaceX’s Gen2 expansion “would more than double the number of tracked objects in orbit and increase the number of objects below 600 km over five-fold,” according to the company.
Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist who served on an American Astronomical Society panel investigating the effects of satellites on astronomy, stated: “We’ve been concerned with having these large numbers of satellites that interfere with astronomical observations… I think we need a little more experience with the several thousand operating satellites before we can ramp up to the tens of thousands.”
SpaceX did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Musk tweeted on January 15 that SpaceX had 1,469 Starlink satellites active and 272 on their way to operational orbits.
Amazon.com, which has pledged to spend at least $10 billion to build 3,236 such satellites through its Project Kuiper programme, raised concerns about SpaceX’s plan with the FCC separately, as did Dish Network.
According to Amazon’s response to SpaceX’s application, “at least hundreds—and potentially thousands—of SpaceX satellites could operate at the same altitudes as the Kuiper System.”
It issued a warning “This orbital overlap would have the following effect:
There will be a dramatic increase in risks and other burdens on the Kuiper System,” and the FCC has been asked to impose “reasonable conditions.”
While satellite technology is extremely expensive to deploy, it can provide high-speed internet to people who live in rural or difficult-to-serve areas where fibre optic cables and cell towers do not reach. When communication is disrupted by hurricanes or other natural disasters, the technology could be a lifeline.
