In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, China and NASA worked together to prevent satellite collisions in space. This event earlier in the year saw the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) reach out to NASA regarding space traffic management.
For The First Time, China Takes The Initiative And Reaches Out To The US For Space Traffic Management
A few weeks ago, the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) reached out to NASA to help prevent a collision between US and Chinese satellites. In its message to NASA, the CNSA says, “We see a conjunction amongst our satellites. We recommend you hold still. We’ll do the manoeuvre.”
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which was held in Sydney, Australia, on 2 October, some details on this event were shared. Speaking on this event, Alvin Drew, director of NASA Space Sustainability, said the message from CNSA was a course for celebration.
Over the past few years, NASA has reached out to CNSA regarding issues surrounding space traffic control. To prevent any collisions between US and CNSA satellites, NASA has always taken the first step, advising that the Chinese space agency ensure their satellites stay through the manoeuvre.
The message from CNSA to NASA a few weeks ago was the first of its kind. This shows that China is aware of the need to ensure proper space traffic management as the space environment becomes home to more and more satellites from various countries.
The Growing Need For Space Traffic Management
The space environment is becoming ever more populated, hence the need for proper space traffic management. Fuelling this growing population is the increasing number of satellite launches into space from various countries.
From the US, SpaceX is growing its Starlink constellation, and the Chinese Guowang and Thousand Sails megaconstellations are also massively growing. The probability of satellites from these constellations colliding is increasing with the addition of new satellites to each constellation.
Both the US and China have a role to play in space traffic management. With the CNSA reaching out to NASA regarding a satellite collision avoidance, we see China taking responsibility in maintaining decorum in our space environment.