SpaceX disputes FAA report on Starlink dangers

World - SpaceX disputes FAA report on dangers of Starlink — Photo: SpaceX.

The report was released on October 5 to members of the US Congress by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an agency responsible for regulating the launch and recovery of commercial space vehicles.

The 35-page analysis, written largely by the nonprofit The Aerospace Corporation, paints a dire picture of the potential dangers associated with large satellite networks like Starlink.

In a letter dated October 9, SpaceX criticized the report’s conclusions and said that claims of injuries or deaths related to debris from Starlink satellites were “preposterous, unwarranted, and inaccurate.”

In the letter, the company asserted that the report was based on “a series of seriously flawed analyses that inaccurately assessed the risks of handling re-entry objects associated with Starlink.” SpaceX also accused The Aerospace Corporation of failing to contact SpaceX to gather information and of failing to provide SpaceX with information about its own analysis and reporting on Starlink satellite handling.

“To be clear, SpaceX satellites are designed and manufactured so that they burn up completely during re-entry when disposed of at the end of their life. They absolutely do.”

The letter also confirmed that 325 Starlink satellites have fallen out of orbit since February 2020 and that no debris has been found.

“Our engineering team is working with SpaceX and other companies to evaluate and update the data,” The Aerospace Corporation said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

The research organization said the FAA contacted them more than two years ago to “request an independent assessment of the overall risks associated with satellite reentry, based on projections of planned operations under the U.S. government in 2021. The data provided included existing and planned satellite networks through 2035, the majority of which are in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).”

“Big risk in the long run”

The FAA analysis credits SpaceX with determining that Starlink satellites burn up completely upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their life and pose no risk to people, aircraft, or infrastructure. The report also credits the Federal Communications Commission, which licenses satellite operators, with accepting that assessment.

However, The Aerospace Corporation “estimated that each SpaceX satellite could produce three 300-gram pieces of debris,” and according to the document, “in preparing this report, the FAA used a more modest number.”

“With thousands of satellites expected to re-enter the atmosphere, even a small amount of debris could pose a significant risk over a long period of time,” the document also said.

SpaceX disputed the assertion, saying the estimates were based on “serious errors, omissions, and inaccurate assumptions.” The company said the numbers were based on a 23-year-old NASA study of satellites from another satellite operator, Iridium, and that the study was not designed to assess risk.

In the letter, SpaceX also criticized the report for “focusing solely on Starlink, ignoring other satellite systems such as Amazon's Project Kuiper, OneWeb, or any other LEO satellite systems being developed and deployed by China.”

Starlink is mentioned 28 times in the FAA report, while Amazon’s Project Kuiper is mentioned four times in the data tables. The analysis also asserts that, by 2035, SpaceX satellites will contribute “85% of the estimated risk to humans and air traffic.”

When asked for comment on Tuesday, the FAA said it was “evaluating the letter it received.” Four members of Congress who received the initial report did not respond to requests for comment.

The report was prepared for Congress in response to a 2020 legislative request asking the FAA to investigate how the agency would address safety risks associated with launch and re-entry operations.

In the report, the FAA said that even if the agency “modified its regulatory decision through legislative action, the FAA’s requirements would still not be sufficient to address all reentry risks to people on the ground or in aircraft because FAA’s jurisdiction does not cover projectiles launched from outside the United States.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to CNN)

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