Lower Starlink Orbit Requires Consideration of Multiple Issues, Astroscale Says
SpaceX's ask to move more than 2,800 satellites to a lower orbit (see 2004200003), where another 1,600 of its Starlink satellites are authorized for deployment, would mean an orbital shell with more than eight times the mass it has today,…
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Astroscale said in an FCC International Bureau posting Tuesday. The agency has many issues to consider while assessing the license modification request, including increased risk from more frequent close approaches. It said the FCC can't make a decision on the license mod without knowing SpaceX's risk threshold for executing maneuvers and targeted maximum residual risk for such maneuvers. It's not clear moving those Starlink satellites to a lower orbit with higher atmospheric drag outweighs the more near-term risks of a substantial increase in congestion, it said. SpaceX didn't comment Wednesday. SpaceX said Dish Network's red flags (see 2006170002) are baseless. Its data show it would operate in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band within applicable limits, and the company offered to make the data available to interested parties.