SpaceX Satellite Project Learns A Lesson About Collisions

[TexasTowelie]

The European Space Agency (ESA) had to maneuver one of its scientific satellites out of the way of a SpaceX Starlink satellite on Monday. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko joined Boston Public Radio Friday to explain the interstellar events.

"Starlink is Elon Musk's SpaceX project to ... basically create an internet service that covers the entire planet," he said. "It would consist of 12,000 communication satellites that are low in orbit, so that ground stations can communicate with them. Right now they only have 60 up. Elon still says that they'll have all 12,000 up by the end of next year."

Even with just 60 satellites — Musk says all 12,000 will be up by the end of next year — they have already led to a near-collision, Ihnatko said.

"They almost collided with a ESA scientific satellite that is an Earth observation satellite," he said.

Read more: https://www.wgbh.org/news/international-news/2019/09/06/spacex-satellite-project-learns-a-lesson-about-collisions

[NNadir]

1. These people at Space X are slobs and are clearly not qualified to play in the precious resource...

...of orbital space, space that does not belong to them, and is the rightful property of all future generations.

It's not the property of people wasted on speed or suffering from the symptoms of manic depressive disease.

Spraying satellites into office along with piece of shit marketing crap like Tesla cars manned by mannequins is obscene.

[caraher]

2. There should be an effective regularory regime to tamp down on space trash

Chucking that Tesla in the general direction of Mars irritated me too. There was so much gushing about how cool that was; to me it was just plain stupid.