Experts Worry About Safety as SpaceX's Starlink Satellites Perform Record Number of Evasive Maneuvers

In the past six months, SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been increasingly maneuvered to avoid potential collisions with other objects in orbit, which has raised concerns about the long-term sustainability of the satellite network as tens of thousands of new satellites are planned to be launched in the coming few years.

According to a recent report submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX acknowledged that its Starlink satellites had to perform over 25,000 evasive maneuvers from December 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023, in order to avoid potential collisions with other spacecraft and orbital debris. This represents a significant increase from the number of evasive maneuvers reported by SpaceX in the first six months of the period (June-November 2022). And it was roughly half of the recent number. SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellite in 2019, ever since then the satellites have had to perform over 50,000 evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions.

Experts are more and more concerned about the rising number of maneuvers performed by Starlink satellites, because it follows an exponential growth curve that could lead to a potential safety hazard in the orbital environment. According to a professor of astronautics at the University of Southampton, the number of maneuvers is currently doubling approximately every six months. It means that the number of evasive maneuvers could become unmanageable quite soon.

As more machinery and debris are launched into orbit around the Earth, the frequency of collision-avoidance maneuvers is likely to increase, warns Joanne Wheeler, a satellite regulation expert. This is akin to driving on a highway and having to swerve every few feet to avoid a collision, which is a highly unsafe scenario. The increasing need for evasive maneuvers highlights the importance of effective space debris management and responsible satellite deployment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the satellite network.

Starlink is a satellite network developed by SpaceX to provide low-cost internet to remote locations. The project aims to eventually have as many as 42,000 satellites in orbit. The first Starlink satellites were launched on May 24, 2019 with 60 satellites deployed. There have been 3200 satellites working in orbit by the end of 2022.