SpaceX has express that a “ hemipteran ” in its system prevented manipulator from switch the course of one of its Starlink satellites after expert attempted to communicate a potential collision with another satellite , resulting in the European Space Agency ( ESA ) conducting the first - ever “ collision avoidance maneuver ” with a orbiter from the new breed of"mega - constellation"satellites .
In aslew of tweet , the space means substantiate that itsAeolus Earth observance satellitefired its thrusters in edict to avoid a collision with the SpaceX artificial satellite in theirStarlink constellation , a mega - configuration of 60 satellite launched earlier this class in hopes of providingultrafast net access .
“ Experts in our blank dust team calculated the risk of collision between these two participating satellites , determining the safe option for Aeolus would be to increase its EL and pass over the SpaceX satellite , ” wrote ESA in atweet .
The tactical manoeuvre took topographic point about a half an cranial orbit before the collision would have encounter . concisely after , Aeolus sent skill data back indicating the maneuver was a success . The agencynotesthat “ it is very rarified to perform collision avoidance maneuvers with fighting satellites . The vast majority of ESA shunning tactical maneuver are the result of stagnant satellites or fragments from late collision . ”
In a program line seen by Jonathan O’Callaghan reporting forForbes , SpaceX said that their last communicating with the Aeolus operations team was on August 28 when the probability of collision was “ well below the industry standard threshold ” at which pointedness both SpaceX and ESA determined that a maneuver was not necessary . In the days that followed , the US Air Force update increased the risk of collision to 1 - in-10,000 but a “ bug ” in SpaceX ’s paging arrangement prevented the Starlink wheeler dealer from “ seeing the follow - on correspondence on this probability increase . ”
“ SpaceX is still investigating the issue and will carry out corrective actions , ” SpaceX said . “ However , had the Starlink operator run across the correspondence , we would have coordinated with ESA to determine [ the ] best attack with their continuing with their maneuver or our perform a play . ”
Last year , 28 hit avoidance manoeuvre were conduct by ESA , but expert warn that as thenumber of satellites in orbit increases , hundreds or even K of satellitesmay be compromise . Such maneuvers are currently conducted manually and take a upright mountain of prep , but the agency says that it is cook to automate the process using artificial word . Currentestimatessuggest that all the debris in Earth ’s orbit count more than 8,400 tonne .
[ H / T : Forbes ]
