SpaceX Urges Satellite Operators to Share Orbital Data After Starlink Near-Misses

SpaceX Calls for Better Orbital Coordination

Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president for Starlink and president of xAI, used a presentation at the International Astronautical Congress in Turkey to call for improved data sharing among satellite operators. SpaceX's Starlink constellation now has more than 11,000 satellites, about two-thirds of all active spacecraft in low-Earth orbit.

Nicolls said there are no global treaties or regulations requiring satellites to broadcast their locations and maneuvers. "What you can't avoid is other operators who maneuver without telling you where they're going to go. We have many examples of this on Starlink, unfortunately," he said.

Close Encounters in Orbit

Nicolls presented examples of satellites from other operators closely approaching Starlink satellites traveling at 5 miles per second. The other satellites changed trajectories without informing anyone, leading to conjunctions of tens of meters to hundreds of meters. "Way too close to comfort," he said.

Starlink satellites perform about 1,000 collision avoidance maneuvers per day. In recent months, they have steered clear of about 650 active satellites from other operators, only half of which come from operators that share ephemeris data with SpaceX.

SpaceX's Own Measures

SpaceX has lowered its active Starlink constellation below 500 kilometers, and new Starlink V3 satellites will fly at about 350 kilometers. The company publishes ephemeris data for its satellites and uses a system called Stargaze, with onboard navigation cameras that track about 90 percent of maneuvering satellites crossing Starlink orbits.

Competitors Respond

Rajeev Badyal, head of Amazon Leo, said Amazon coordinates with SpaceX on every launch and holds regular meetings to exchange data. "Sharing ephemeris or sharing the information necessary for space safety is a non-issue," he said. Amazon currently has 396 satellites in orbit, with plans for thousands more.

Sources: Arstechnica