SPACE JUNK

SpaceX Satellites Had to Dodge 25,000 Potential Collisions in 6 Months

Experts fear the increased likelihood of a satellite collision could have disastrous consequences.

In a six-month period, SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites have been forced to execute more than 25,000 maneuvers to avoid potentially disastrous collisions—an exponential increase that has some space experts alarmed. According to Space.com, the Elon Musk-headed company reported the worrying total for the period between Dec. 2022 and May 2023. The number represents a dramatic increase as SpaceX continues to launch hundreds of satellites per year as part of the Starlink program. By 2028, Starlink satellites will have to maneuver nearly a million times every six months to avoid possible collisions if the trend continues, Space.com reported. Experts fear that such an outcome would lead to satellite collisions becoming a frequent event, triggering a disastrous domino effect that could fill sections of Earth’s orbit with debris and leave them unusable.