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FAA experts warn that every year the probability of becoming a victim is getting higher.
A report from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) draws public attention to a problem related to SpaceX's Starlink space satellites. According to experts, an increase in the number of these satellites in orbit can cause serious incidents on Earth.
Usually, old spacecraft burn up completely in the atmosphere, but there is a certain probability that something will go wrong. It's critically small, so we don't have to worry about it yet. To date, hundreds of Starlink satellites have already gone through this process without causing any harm to humans.
However, SpaceX is allowed to operate up to 12,000 vehicles, and 5,000 of them are already in orbit. The company plans to expand this number to an incredible 40,000, which means that the risks will increase over time.
As the FAA predicts, if the trend continues to gain momentum, by 2035, Starlink will become one of the main potential sources of danger to people and aviation. The report says: "It is estimated that the number of people who can be injured or even killed by debris entering the atmosphere during the disposal of satellites will be 0.6 people per year. This means that every two years, one person on the planet can suffer."
In addition, according to preliminary estimates, the probability of a disaster due to a collision of fragments with an aircraft will be 0.0007 per year. The important thing to understand here is that massive chunks of metal are slamming into the atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour.
SpaceX has not yet commented on the report's materials.
A report from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) draws public attention to a problem related to SpaceX's Starlink space satellites. According to experts, an increase in the number of these satellites in orbit can cause serious incidents on Earth.
Usually, old spacecraft burn up completely in the atmosphere, but there is a certain probability that something will go wrong. It's critically small, so we don't have to worry about it yet. To date, hundreds of Starlink satellites have already gone through this process without causing any harm to humans.
However, SpaceX is allowed to operate up to 12,000 vehicles, and 5,000 of them are already in orbit. The company plans to expand this number to an incredible 40,000, which means that the risks will increase over time.
As the FAA predicts, if the trend continues to gain momentum, by 2035, Starlink will become one of the main potential sources of danger to people and aviation. The report says: "It is estimated that the number of people who can be injured or even killed by debris entering the atmosphere during the disposal of satellites will be 0.6 people per year. This means that every two years, one person on the planet can suffer."
In addition, according to preliminary estimates, the probability of a disaster due to a collision of fragments with an aircraft will be 0.0007 per year. The important thing to understand here is that massive chunks of metal are slamming into the atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour.
SpaceX has not yet commented on the report's materials.
