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NORAD 44278 is a Starlink satellite presently being de-orbited by SpaceX in a controlled fashion to simulate end-of-life disposal. [1] The current altitude (~3

by zaroth 7y ago

NORAD 44278 is a Starlink satellite presently being de-orbited by SpaceX in a controlled fashion to simulate end-of-life disposal. [1] The current altitude (~330km) [2] puts it well below the operation envelope and it’s currently the lowest sat of the Starlink constellation at this point. It appears SpaceX does continue to have some level of control of the craft. [3] Some speculation I’ve read is that the much higher impulse of the ESA thrusters would make the ESA craft a better candidate to execute the maneuver. These adjustments are not rare - they happen approximately every other week for this particular craft, and as Iridium says, they do this weekly. [4] A video of the conjecture [5] shows an approach of “less than 10km”. The ESA craft apparently passed much closer to several other craft over the last week, so there may be more to it in this case, or there may be a bone to pick with Starlink. Lastly, ESA has a particular interest in raising this issue now as much as possible, as these “mega-constellations” launched by US companies are coming closer to reality and the current processes (picking up the phone) don’t scale well to tens of thousands of satellites. [1] - https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1144689334777524226?s=21 https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/11446893347775242... [2] - https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=44278 https://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=44278 [3] - https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=21 https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=... [4] - https://twitter.com/iridiumboss/status/1168582141128650753?s=21 https://twitter.com/iridiumboss/status/1168582141128650753?s... [5] - https://twitter.com/m_r_thomp/status/1168583891726344193?s=21 https://twitter.com/m_r_thomp/status/1168583891726344193?s=2...

manicdee 7y ago
The “more to it” is that ESA is gearing up to request funding for their AI project, billed as an automated tracking and avoidance manoeuvre planning system capable of handling the vast numbers of objects and debris expected to be in orbit in the near future. This was not about “SpaceX refused to move” but “we need money to build this automated system so we don’t have to do it all by hand,” and an additional level which is, how should the various satellite operators make their orbital parameters available to interested parties? The situation is that ESA didn’t even know what kind of object the track represented, and they had to contact SpaceX to ask about it in the first place. Their job would have been easier (whether manual or automated) if SpaceX made the orbital parameters available for automated queries. The last thing this is about is SpaceX being “arrogant” or “refusing to move a satellite.”
- dahdum 7y ago
  > The last thing this is about is SpaceX being “arrogant” or “refusing to move a satellite.” SpaceX entering ESA’s orbit and arrogantly refusing to move is an excellent showcase of the need for better avoidance systems, especially since they plan to launch 12k of them. It’s also an excellent warning of SpaceX’s ethical framework.
  - manicdee 7y ago
    It’s more likely to be an excellent example of why we should always wait two days to find out the real story. Clickbait headlines are poison, as are hearsay and anonymous sources using emotive language like “SpaceX refused” to move their satellite.
Rebelgecko 7y ago
If the Starlink satellite is moving (I don't mean actively moving, just that it's changed its orbit in the last few days), the measurements of its orbit are going to be less precise. So even if expected closest distance is greater, the error bars are wider. Which would give a larger probability of a conjunction.

by zaroth 7y ago

manicdee 7y ago

The “more to it” is that ESA is gearing up to request funding for their AI project, billed as an automated tracking and avoidance manoeuvre planning system capable of handling the vast numbers of objects and debris expected to be in orbit in the near future. This was not about “SpaceX refused to move” but “we need money to build this automated system so we don’t have to do it all by hand,” and an additional level which is, how should the various satellite operators make their orbital parameters available to interested parties? The situation is that ESA didn’t even know what kind of object the track represented, and they had to contact SpaceX to ask about it in the first place. Their job would have been easier (whether manual or automated) if SpaceX made the orbital parameters available for automated queries. The last thing this is about is SpaceX being “arrogant” or “refusing to move a satellite.”

dahdum 7y ago
> The last thing this is about is SpaceX being “arrogant” or “refusing to move a satellite.” SpaceX entering ESA’s orbit and arrogantly refusing to move is an excellent showcase of the need for better avoidance systems, especially since they plan to launch 12k of them. It’s also an excellent warning of SpaceX’s ethical framework.
- manicdee 7y ago
  It’s more likely to be an excellent example of why we should always wait two days to find out the real story. Clickbait headlines are poison, as are hearsay and anonymous sources using emotive language like “SpaceX refused” to move their satellite.

Rebelgecko 7y ago

If the Starlink satellite is moving (I don't mean actively moving, just that it's changed its orbit in the last few days), the measurements of its orbit are going to be less precise. So even if expected closest distance is greater, the error bars are wider. Which would give a larger probability of a conjunction.