- A scientist predicts that Starlink satellites will eventually lead to 90% of attempted events in Earth orbit.
- Hugh Lewis told Space.com that Starlink satellites have been involved in approximately 50% of the attempted incidents.
- When two spacecraft are within one kilometer of each other, a dangerous situation occurs.
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A scientist and space debris expert predicts that Starlink satellites will eventually participate in nine out of ten unsuccessful incidents between spacecraft orbiting the earth.
A study by Hugh Lewis of the University of Southampton shows that once the “mega constellation” of the Starlink satellite reaches its expected 12,000 satellites, it will undertake 90% of the close contact missions. Published by Space.com,Suggest.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink aims to create “The most advanced broadband Internet system in the world. “ Professor Lewis’ research shows that it has launched about 1,700 satellites into earth orbit, and these satellites have caused about half of the current unsuccessful incidents.
When two spacecraft are within one kilometer of each other, an attempted event in earth orbit occurs. With the rapid increase in the number of satellites being put into orbit, scientists are concerned about the increased possibility of collisions and the possibility of chain reactions leading to multiple collisions.
Lewis checked the data in the Satellite Orbit Joint Report Evaluating Threats in Space (Socrates) database, which tracks satellite orbits and simulates their trajectories to assess collision risks. He checked the data for May 2019, when Starlink launched the first batch of satellites.
Lewis said the Starlink satellite is responsible for 1,600 close contacts between the two spacecraft each week. He said that excluding the attempted incident involving two Starlink satellites, the number is 500.
he Tell Space.com The number of encounters collected in the Socrates database “more than doubled, and now we are in a situation where Starlink accounts for half of all encounters.”
OneWeb, Starlink’s competitor, has 250 satellites in orbit, including 80 attempted incidents with other satellites. Satellite of each operator Week, according to the data Lewis provided it to Space.com.
