Elon Musk claims that Russian anti-satellite missile test forced Starlink satellites to avoid debris.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | Chimniii Desk
Key Highlights
- Elon Musk said Tuesday that SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been forced to avoid debris from a Russian missile test.
- On November 15, Russia launched a missile at one of its satellites, triggering an explosion of debris that spread throughout Earth's orbit at around ten times the speed of a bullet.
- The new debris clouds are a hazard to nearly everything in Earth's orbit, including Starlink, SpaceX's network of over 1,700 internet satellites.
- Collisions with a larger piece of Russian shrapnel could exacerbate the new debris situation.
- According to the US State Department, the Russian missile test generated over 1,500 pieces of debris large enough to be tracked from the ground.
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Elon Musk said Tuesday that SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been forced to avoid debris from a Russian missile test.
On November 15, Russia launched a missile at one of its satellites, triggering an explosion of debris that spread throughout Earth's orbit at around ten times the speed of a bullet. Astronauts on board the International Space Station took refuge in their spacecraft, preparing to escape the station in the event of an emergency.
The new debris clouds are a hazard to nearly everything in Earth's orbit, including Starlink, SpaceX's network of over 1,700 internet satellites.
"Some Starlink satellite orbits had to be shifted to lessen the likelihood of a collision," Musk, who created SpaceX in 2002, stated on Twitter. "Not fantastic, but not atrocious either."
Smaller junk might easily bring a satellite to a halt. In this instance, the satellite would gradually decrease altitude until it collided with the Earth's atmosphere, where it would burn up due to the friction. Collisions with a larger piece of Russian shrapnel could exacerbate the new debris situation.
"If one of the larger pieces of trash strikes [a satellite], it may utterly destroy the satellite and shatter it into thousands of pieces," astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who studies satellites and junk items, told Insider following the missile test. "You could witness debris colliding with satellites, creating further debris that collides with additional satellites."
According to the US State Department, the Russian missile test generated over 1,500 pieces of debris large enough to be tracked from the ground. However, nobody has yet identified or tracked all of the huge objects. This may take months.
"If it is not listed in the catalogue, SpaceX is unaware of its existence. As a result, they are unable to flee "According to McDowell.
Debris avoidance will almost certainly become a more frequent occurrence as SpaceX expands its satellite constellation. SpaceX has been granted permission by the Federal Communications Commission to launch 12,000 of its Starlink satellites into orbit, and the corporation has asked authorisation to launch an additional 30,000.
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