SYDNEY, Australia \u2013 Yesterday, the China National Space Agency (CNSA) contacted NASA about a potential on-orbit collision.<\/p>\n
The CNSA message read, \u201cWe would like to recommend you hold still and we\u2019ll do the maneuver,\u201d Alvin Drew, NASA Space Sustainability director and former astronaut, said Oct. 2 at a panel on space sustainability at the International Astronautical Congress here. \u201cThat\u2019s the first time that has ever happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
After decades of operating satellites alongside one another with very little communication, China, one of the world\u2019s most prolific launching states<\/a>, is beginning to share information with western space powers.<\/p>\n While CNSA sent \u201ca simple email,\u201d its significance was great, Drew told SpaceNews. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time we\u2019re actually getting two-way communication between these two public space operators.\u201d<\/p>\n Commercial Coordination<\/p>\n Messages also are starting to be shared between Chinese and western commercial satellite operators.<\/p>\n \u201cI know for a fact that OneWeb has been contacted by a Chinese constellation to talk about where they\u2019re going,\u201d Darren McKnight, senior technical fellow for LeoLabs, said during a Sept. 29 technical session on space sustainability. \u201cSpaceX also has been contacted by a Chinese constellation.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent action by CNSA and commercial satellite operators to discuss spacecraft maneuvers \u201ctells me there is a coordinated signal coming from someone in China,\u201d Drew said. \u201cSomebody is saying, \u2018Yes, you can talk to them. Yes, you can coordinate with them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Adjacent Megaconstellations<\/p>\n These communications are occurring at a critical time for satellite operators. Chinese companies plan to establish the 13,000-satellite Guowang<\/a> internet-of-things constellation and the 15,000-satellites Qianfan<\/a> or Thousand Sails broadband constellation. SpaceX\u2019s Starlink broadband constellation could include as many as 42,000 satellites and Amazon intends to send 3,236 broadband satellites into Project Kuiper. <\/p>\n The growing number of megaconstellations destined for low-Earth orbit will require \u201creal-time information sharing across all of our agencies,\u201d Drew said. \u201cWe are seeing the first steps.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not yet clear how information will be shared. But organizations like the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) can help, said McKnight, a member of the IAA Space Debris Committee.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of work before on what we call track-two diplomacy, working with folks in IAA and IAF to come up with ideas that might percolate up to the solutions the government will end up using in the future,\u201d McKnight said.<\/p>\n A Near Miss<\/p>\n In the past, communication between CNSA and NASA has been extremely limited due in part to the Wolf Amendment, which prohibits NASA from funding work with China without congressional and FBI approval. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough we\u2019re making progress, for years our ability to communicate with the Chinese National Space Agency has been extremely crude,\u201d Drew said. \u201cWhen we had a conjunction, we would send a note to the Chinese saying that we think we\u2019re going to run into you. Hold still, we\u2019ll maneuver around you.\u201d<\/p>\n Often there was no reply, Drew said. It was never even clear if the messages were received. <\/p>\n \u201cOnce we did maneuver both at the same time and fortunately we missed,\u201d Drew said. \u201cWe\u2019ve come a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SYDNEY, Australia \u2013 Yesterday, the China National Space Agency (CNSA) contacted NASA about a potential on-orbit collision. 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