SYDNEY \u2014 Satellite operators are asking an international regulator to help maintain lines of communication among them to deal with potential conjunctions and other space safety issues.<\/p>\n
During a panel at the International Astronautical Congress here Sept. 30, representatives from constellation operators in the United States and China emphasized the need to better coordinate when their satellites make close approaches to one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see satellites getting launched into operational orbits of other systems without talking to each other, without sharing data,\u201d said David Goldman, vice president of satellite policy at SpaceX. He emphasized the need to share orbital ephemerides. \u201cThat is the single most important thing you can do to help decrease risk in space.\u201d<\/p>\n
The issues, he said, are largely not with other operators of large constellations. \u201cSpaceX and Amazon work really closely on making sure that our satellites are working well together,\u201d he said. That includes coordination each time Amazon launches a set of Project Kuiper satellites, which must pass through shells of Starlink satellites to reach higher operational orbits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really have not had issues because we\u2019re talking to each other closely,\u201d he concluded. \u201cYou can have a lot of satellites operating if you\u2019re communicating well and working together well.\u201d<\/p>\n
An Amazon official on the panel agreed. \u201cWe work very closely together on space safety. We share our ephemeris, our maneuver plans and, at the technical level, we\u2019re screening our orbits,\u201d said Josef Koller, head of space safety and sustainability for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper.<\/p>\n
His concern was with satellite operators Amazon does not, and cannot, communicate with. He estimated about 1,500 operational payloads pass through Kuiper orbits, only half of which Amazon has contact information for.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s really not a very safe environment,\u201d he said. \u201cIt seems like such a simple thing to do to share your contact information or your email address so we can reach out to you about who is going to maneuver or not, but that is the most critical item today that I see that we have not accomplished yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Chinese satellite operator on the panel said they face similar problems. \u201cWe always know who to contact for frequency coordination, but we don\u2019t know who to talk to about satellite operations,\u201d said Peng Zhang, general manager of the solutions department at GalaxySpace.<\/p>\n
Industry officials suggested one mechanism for sharing that information could be through the International Telecommunication Union, or ITU. \u201cAround the world, there\u2019s trust issues between operators, between countries,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cI think the ITU can play a pivotal role in trying to bring people together and share information in a trusted place.\u201d<\/p>\n