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Crowded sky
For the first time, NASA comments on a request from a private company to launch a mega constellation of satellites. And its message is clear: it could be disastrous.
AST & Science (AST) wants to launch 240 large satellites that would broadcast 4G service and, if all goes to plan, eventually do the same with a 5G network, Ars Technica relationships. Because the satellites will be so massive, NASA said in a statement that they would cause thousands of potential collisions each year, although AST says it is committed to working with NASA to fix the problem.
Horse In The Hospital
Other mega-constellations like Starlink also pose collision risks, but it’s the sheer size of these telecommunication satellites and AST’s inexperience in building something so large that is of particular concern to NASA. Ars relationships.
Given this lack of experience, NASA has suggested that up to 10 percent of satellites could fail, creating an “unacceptably high” risk of a “catastrophic collision”.
Evasive maneuvers
To transmit 4G and possibly 5G signals, the satellites would be equipped with huge antennas up to 900 square meters in size. Given their planned proximity to other satellites, NASA says this is a disaster waiting to happen.
“For the completed constellation of 243 satellites, 1,500 mitigation actions per year and perhaps 15,000 planning activities can be expected,” reads the NASA statement. “That would be equivalent to four maneuvers and 40 planning activities active on any given day.”
READ MORE: NASA Opposes New Mega Constellation, Citing Risk of “Catastrophic Collision” [Ars Technica]
Learn more about satellite collisions: Three percent of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are dead
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