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What are the implication with regards to space debris? I hear it's a very real, growing problem. Will those satellites be able to withstand hits? Will they prod

What are the implication with regards to space debris? I hear it's a very real, growing problem. Will those satellites be able to withstand hits? Will they produce a lot of debris (if 2 collide for example)?

peteretep 8y ago
There will be a more intensive commercial incentive to fix it, so that's presumably a good thing?
mrep 8y ago
1. Space is really big so the odds of anything hitting each other are low. 2. They are launching their initial satellites in extremely low earth orbit such that atmospheric drag will cause them to decay and burn up in the atmosphere within 5 years. They are also attempting to design their satellites such that every single part of them will burn up in the atmosphere so that there is no risk of any piece hitting someone. 3. The US government is also concerned about this which is why spacex is doing their initial launch into a lower orbit that guarantees their decay into the atmosphere. Their future launches into higher orbits with longer decays will have extra considerations for such problem and thus will be evaluated by the US government individually so I would not be too worried.
Rebelgecko 8y ago
They probably won't be able to withstand hits. However they have the ability to maneuver if necessary, and even if there's no maneuvering capability each one should deorbit on its own in less than a decade. Probably the biggest concern (and this is still a very small concern!) is debris making it back to earth without burning up. The SpaceX FCC applications list some parts of the satellites that won't necessarily burn up on reentry, and some of them are large enough to ruin your day. That said, the surface of the Earth is really really big and unless something goes wrong with a satellite they'll intentionally deorbit it over the ocean so no one gets hit by space junk.

peteretep 8y ago

There will be a more intensive commercial incentive to fix it, so that's presumably a good thing?

mrep 8y ago

1. Space is really big so the odds of anything hitting each other are low. 2. They are launching their initial satellites in extremely low earth orbit such that atmospheric drag will cause them to decay and burn up in the atmosphere within 5 years. They are also attempting to design their satellites such that every single part of them will burn up in the atmosphere so that there is no risk of any piece hitting someone. 3. The US government is also concerned about this which is why spacex is doing their initial launch into a lower orbit that guarantees their decay into the atmosphere. Their future launches into higher orbits with longer decays will have extra considerations for such problem and thus will be evaluated by the US government individually so I would not be too worried.

Rebelgecko 8y ago

They probably won't be able to withstand hits. However they have the ability to maneuver if necessary, and even if there's no maneuvering capability each one should deorbit on its own in less than a decade. Probably the biggest concern (and this is still a very small concern!) is debris making it back to earth without burning up. The SpaceX FCC applications list some parts of the satellites that won't necessarily burn up on reentry, and some of them are large enough to ruin your day. That said, the surface of the Earth is really really big and unless something goes wrong with a satellite they'll intentionally deorbit it over the ocean so no one gets hit by space junk.