Internet from satellite: It’s getting crowded in Earth orbit!
- by Krone
- Oct 17, 2024
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China also wants to expand its network in stages - the plan is to have around 15,000 satellites orbiting the earth by 2030. However, "Qianfan" is not China's only satellite project in space. The "GW" constellation is planned with around 13,000 satellites. Another project, Honghu-3, is to comprise around 10,000 satellites. Large Internet projects with thousands of satellites are also about to be launched in other countries, such as Amazon's Kuiper.
Different standards apply in space
Of course, the dimensions in space are enormous. But in view of the many plans for satellite networks, the question is: how much space is there in low orbit - i.e. at an altitude of around 200 to 2000 kilometers - and won't the satellites get in each other's way? In an interview with the Financial Times at the end of 2021, Musk calculated that there was room for "billions of satellites". Each layer, i.e. altitude, has a larger surface area than the Earth itself. "A few thousand satellites are nothing," he said.
A few thousand satellites are nothing.
SpaceX-Chef Elon Musk
The European Space Agency ESA takes a more critical view of the issue. According to the agency, there are around 13,230 satellites in orbit around the earth, around 10,200 of which are still in use. The increasing number of satellite constellations in space increases the risk of collisions, which could cause immense damage in chain reactions, says ESA head Josef Aschbacher. He is in favor of a globally applicable space traffic law to clarify who has to take evasive action in dangerous situations.
The ESA itself also wants to drastically limit the creation of space debris in view of the increasing number of satellites by 2030. Every satellite that is sent into space is to be removed from orbit at the end of its life, as Aschbacher says. In September, ESA deliberately burnt up one of its satellites in the atmosphere.
Satellite launch causes a cloud of debris
China's launch of a disused weather satellite in 2007 showed just how devastating the effects of debris can be. It is estimated that more than 40,000 pieces of debris more than one centimetre in diameter were created - every second collision avoidance manoeuvre by ESA satellites since then has been caused by such pieces.
The US space agency NASA, which itself has almost 2,000 satellites in space, is also concerned about the increasing number of satellites and debris in space and is reportedly working on "clean-up plans".
Lambert Liu, an industry insider and space expert from China, however, believes that the risk of satellites colliding is low. The Chinese citizen refers to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. Every country has to report data on satellite launches there, also to prevent collisions.
"Nobody wants something like this to happen, which is why we check the United Nations system to see which satellites are in the sky before launch," he says. The missiles are also in contact with the ground. If a satellite flies too high or too low, adjustments have to be made to avoid a crash.
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