SpaceX urges satellite operators to improve coordination after near-misses

SpaceX has urged satellite operators to improve data sharing and coordination in orbit after near-misses involving spacecraft.

Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president for Starlink and president of its artificial-intelligence company xAI, made the appeal Tuesday at the International Astronautical Congress in Turkey.

Starlink dominates low-Earth orbit

The Starlink constellation has more than 11,000 satellites, representing about two-thirds of all active spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Radars and telescopes also routinely track thousands of pieces of space debris.

SpaceX has disclosed plans to launch up to 1 million satellites for Starmind, a new constellation intended to provide artificial-intelligence computing capacity in low-Earth orbit. Amazon is preparing a network of thousands of satellites, while two Chinese megaconstellations are being deployed at full scale.

No global coordination rules

The growing number of spacecraft raises the risk of collisions that could generate thousands of additional debris fragments and trigger a self-perpetuating cycle. The chance of a collision on any given day remains extremely low, however, because space is vast and low-Earth orbit is still far from full.

SpaceX and most other Western operators de-orbit rockets and satellites at the end of their missions to avoid adding debris. Nicolls said further work is needed on tracking, awareness and coordination in orbit.

Global treaties and regulations do not currently require satellites to broadcast their locations and maneuvers or require operators to coordinate with one another. Governments and companies therefore remain responsible for establishing norms of behavior in space.