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The bigger issue is that ESA is coming up to an important administrative date in November where their future budget will be determined, and they want money for
by manicdee 7y ago
The bigger issue is that ESA is coming up to an important administrative date in November where their future budget will be determined, and they want money for their automation program. So they have to portray space as dangerous, ESA processes as desperately in need of improvement, and this specific example of a super expensive research satellite coming close to part of a future megaconstellation makes for great attention-grabbing headlines.
That it was SpaceX that ESA got to throw under the bus was the cherry on the cake.
- dahdum 7y agoSpaceX playing chicken with cheap disposable Starlinks against multibillion euro public satellites does make space dangerous.
- manicdee 7y agoNobody is playing chicken here. The SpaceX satellite is for all intents and purposes inert, since it is incapable of significantly adjusting its orbit. You know the old joke about the US Navy warship giving way to the second class seaman, right?
- Rebelgecko 7y ago>The SpaceX satellite is for all intents and purposes inert, since it is incapable of significantly adjusting its orbit. If SpaceX is actively deorbiting the satellite, it's not inert.
- Doxin 7y agoHaving enough thrust for a deorbit burn doesn't mean having enough thrust to avoid a collision.