
SpaceX fires back at FAA report suggesting its Starlink internet constellation could be deadly
- by CNN
- Oct 10, 2023
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SpaceX is asking federal regulators to correct a report that suggests the companyâs Starlink satellite constellation could pose grave risks to people on Earth.
The report was delivered to members of Congress by the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses the launch and reentry of commercial spacecraft, on October 5.
The 35-page analysis, compiled in part by the nonprofit research group The Aerospace Corporation, offers a dire picture of the potential dangers associated with large networks of satellites such as Starlink, suggesting that by 2035, âif the expected large constellation growth is realized and debris from Starlink satellites survive reentry ⦠one person on the planet would be expected to be injured or killed every two years.â
It also estimates that the probability of an aircraft being downed by a collision with falling space debris could be 0.0007 per year by 2035.
SpaceX slammed the reportâs conclusions in a letter dated October 9, calling the claims regarding risk of injury and death associated with Starlink âpreposterous, unjustified, and inaccurate.â
The companyâs letter, obtained by CNN, Â states that the report relied âon a deeply flawed analysis that falsely characterizes reentry disposal risks associated with Starlink.â SpaceX also accused the Aerospace Corporation of failing to reach out to SpaceX for information and not including the companyâs own analysis and reports regarding Starlink satellite disposal.
âTo be clear, SpaceXâs satellites are designed and built to fully demise during atmospheric reentry during disposal at end of life, and they do so,â according to SpaceXâs letter.
The letter also states that 325 Starlink satellites have already deorbited since February 2020, and no debris has been found.
In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the Aerospace Corporation said, âOur technical team is in communication with SpaceX and others to review and update the data.â
The research group said it was approached by the FAA more than two years ago âto do an independent assessment of collective risks associated with satellite re-entry, based upon the projection of all planned operators under U.S. regulation in 2021,â according to the statement. âThe data included existing and planned constellations through 2035. The greatest percentage of satellites were those in Low Earth Orbit.â
âA significant risk over timeâ
The FAA analysis does acknowledge that SpaceX says its Starlink satellites fully burn up in the atmosphere when they fall back to Earth at the end of service, posing no increased risk of striking people, airplanes or infrastructure. And the report acknowledges that the Federal Communications Commission, which authorizes satellite operators, accepted that assessment.
But The Aerospace Corporation âassessed that the SpaceX spacecraft could each produce three pieces of debris of 300 grams. For purposes of this report, the FAA uses the more conservative approach,â according to the document.
Project Kuiper, Amazon's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband initiative, is preparing to put its first two satellites into space during its "Protoflight" mission.
Amazon
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