Recently, a SpaceX Starlink satellite had a near-miss in orbit. The close encounter happened thanks to one of the nine satellites launched by a Chinese rocket on December 9. This event has raised concerns about the safety of our increasingly crowded skies.
Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Engineering, expressed his frustration over the lack of coordination between satellite operators. He noted that no prior communication was made before the two satellites came alarmingly close—just 200 meters apart at an altitude of 560 kilometers. He emphasized that this kind of oversight must change to minimize risks in space.
CAS Space, the company behind the Kinetica 1 rocket, responded to the situation. They stated they followed protocols to avoid collisions, but they would investigate how this close call occurred. The Kinetica 1 mission launched several satellites, including those for countries like the UAE, Egypt, and Nepal.
The risk of collisions is rising as more satellites enter orbit. In 2020, there were fewer than 3,400 functional satellites circling our planet. Fast forward to today, and that number has jumped to about 13,000, with SpaceX operating nearly 9,300 Starlink satellites alone—over 3,000 of which were launched this year. As a result, the challenge of keeping satellites safe is growing by the day.
Starlink satellites have a robust system that allows them to evade potential collisions. They performed roughly 145,000 avoidance maneuvers in just the first half of this year, averaging about four maneuvers per satellite monthly. However, not all satellites have such capabilities. This situation makes them vulnerable if other operators don’t share their trajectory data. A single collision could create a cloud of debris that poses further dangers, leading to a catastrophic scenario known as Kessler syndrome, where one collision triggers a chain reaction of more collisions.
The need for better communication among satellite operators has never been more critical. As the number of satellites continues to rise, finding solutions to ensure everyone’s safety in the vast space above us will be essential.
