Satellite Launch Sparks Debate Over Space Safety And Coordination

The vast expanse of space, once a seemingly infinite frontier, has become increasingly crowded with the proliferation of satellite launches. A recent incident has brought attention to the complexities of coordinating spacecraft operations and verifying potential close calls in orbit. According to Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, a satellite launched on a Kinetica-1 rocket from China passed within a mere 200 meters of a Starlink satellite.

This close approach has sparked debate about the responsibilities of launch operators and the challenges of ensuring safe distances between spacecraft. Nicolls expressed concern that no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed for the launch. In response, CAS Space, the Chinese company that operates the Kinetica-1 rocket, stated that its missions select launch windows using a ground-based space awareness system to avoid collisions with known satellites and debris.

However, CAS Space later clarified that the close approach occurred nearly 48 hours after payload separation, long after its responsibilities for the launch had ended. The incident has also raised questions about the role of commercial firms that provide space situational awareness services. These companies, such as LeoLabs, COMSPOC, and Slingshot Aerospace, utilize networks of radars and other technologies to track objects in low Earth ← →