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Can you describe what action SpaceX should have taken to prevent their inert space debris from potentially colliding with someone else’s active satellite?

dahdum 7y ago
Have they stated anywhere they lost control of their satellite, that it was inert? It was under power and reportedly performing a test maneuver. If they didn’t have control over it they could have easily stated as such to ESA and avoided any bad PR at all, or even just in response to this story.
- elkos 7y ago
  That wasn't inert on the contrary. https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=19 https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=...
  - manicdee 7y ago
    I apologise for using the word inert when the satellite was merely incapable of manoeuvring as required in the timeframe allowed.
    - elkos 7y ago
      No need to apologize. I'm not familiar with the Starlink-44's structural design and profile but from promo images that I have seen it would make sense to still consider turning around on xyz axis to reduce impact risk a bit.
- manicdee 7y ago
  You will note that the official ESA comments on the matter are that “nobody did anything wrong,” and (to paraphrase) “we need better technology to remove humans, email and phone calls from the loop”. For all you know, SpaceX did state to the ESA that their satellite was incapable of performing the required course adjustment. Something along the lines of “our satellite is incapable of adjusting its orbit to accomodate your request.” As for the author publishing the story before receiving a response from SpaceX, that’s on the author not SpaceX.
  - dahdum 7y ago
    > As for the author publishing the story before receiving a response from SpaceX, that’s on the author not SpaceX. It’s on SpaceX, journalists can’t let companies kill their stories through silence. The story quotes Holger Krag as saying SpaceX replied “they do not plan to take action”. Quite different than “incapable”.
    - hgoel 7y ago
      They published the story 4 hours after the incident happened. That's nowhere near enough time for SpaceX to respond, as such, it is indeed on the journalist in my opinion. Not only is it unlikely that the author found out immediately as it happened, it's unlikely that SpaceX could get a statement ready in 2 maybe 3 hours (assuming an hour total between author seeing this info and a SpaceX rep seeing his email about it), while also leaving the author time to write the article.
    - manicdee 7y ago
      And yet SpaceX did reply to Loren Grush, who has published a story about this ESA announcement, but it’s quite a different story because she wasn’t setting out to smear SpaceX. https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/3/20847243/spacex-starlink-satellite-european-space-agency-aeolus-conjunction-space-debris https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/3/20847243/spacex-starlink-s...

dahdum 7y ago

Have they stated anywhere they lost control of their satellite, that it was inert? It was under power and reportedly performing a test maneuver. If they didn’t have control over it they could have easily stated as such to ESA and avoided any bad PR at all, or even just in response to this story.

elkos 7y ago
That wasn't inert on the contrary. https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=19 https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1168637324592328705?s=...
- manicdee 7y ago
  I apologise for using the word inert when the satellite was merely incapable of manoeuvring as required in the timeframe allowed.
  - elkos 7y ago
    No need to apologize. I'm not familiar with the Starlink-44's structural design and profile but from promo images that I have seen it would make sense to still consider turning around on xyz axis to reduce impact risk a bit.
manicdee 7y ago
You will note that the official ESA comments on the matter are that “nobody did anything wrong,” and (to paraphrase) “we need better technology to remove humans, email and phone calls from the loop”. For all you know, SpaceX did state to the ESA that their satellite was incapable of performing the required course adjustment. Something along the lines of “our satellite is incapable of adjusting its orbit to accomodate your request.” As for the author publishing the story before receiving a response from SpaceX, that’s on the author not SpaceX.
- dahdum 7y ago
  > As for the author publishing the story before receiving a response from SpaceX, that’s on the author not SpaceX. It’s on SpaceX, journalists can’t let companies kill their stories through silence. The story quotes Holger Krag as saying SpaceX replied “they do not plan to take action”. Quite different than “incapable”.
  - hgoel 7y ago
    They published the story 4 hours after the incident happened. That's nowhere near enough time for SpaceX to respond, as such, it is indeed on the journalist in my opinion. Not only is it unlikely that the author found out immediately as it happened, it's unlikely that SpaceX could get a statement ready in 2 maybe 3 hours (assuming an hour total between author seeing this info and a SpaceX rep seeing his email about it), while also leaving the author time to write the article.
  - manicdee 7y ago
    And yet SpaceX did reply to Loren Grush, who has published a story about this ESA announcement, but it’s quite a different story because she wasn’t setting out to smear SpaceX. https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/3/20847243/spacex-starlink-satellite-european-space-agency-aeolus-conjunction-space-debris https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/3/20847243/spacex-starlink-s...