A report from the Federal Aviation Administration warns of the risk that debris from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites could cause deaths and injuries when it falls to Earth. Totally erroneous claims for Elon Musk’s company.
The Gauls were afraid that the sky would fall on their heads. There Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is afraid that debris from Starlink satellites SpaceX falls to Earth and kill people. The American government agency responsible for regulations and controls concerning civil aviation has submitted a report to this effect to Congress. If he targets Elon Musk’s company in particular, it’s because the company launched more than 5000 satellites in space to date and plans to launch thousands more.
The statistics put forward by the FAA are indeed alarming if they are true. In 2035, there would be 61% chance that satellite debris falling on Earth will kill one person each year. The risk is much lower for such an impact to take place on a plane in flight, 0.07%. This is still too high given the number of potential victims and the FAA is therefore sounding the alarm to the American government. SpaceX did not wait to respond to the allegations, and not necessarily in a cordial manner.
The FAA warns of a risk of death from the fall of Starlink satellites, this is false for SpaceX
For SpaceX, the FAA’s analysis is “nothing more than the culmination of several glaring errors, omissions and incorrect assumptions.” The tone is set. It would be based on a study conducted by NASA 23 years ago, not reflecting today’s technical reality. The astronautics company recalls that Starlink satellites are made with materials that burn completely upon entering the atmosphere. In other words, no debris can fall to Earth.
Read also – Starlink unveils its service which will allow your smartphone to connect to the Internet via satellite
The results presented by the FAA are in fact those of theAerospace Corporation, a nonprofit organization that operates a research and development center funded by the U.S. government. SpaceX believes that the data has not been verified and goes further: “the fact that the FAA simply accepted the Aerospace report without asking questions or conducting a thorough review raises concerns about the technical competence of the FAA to responsibly evaluate and regulate [le domaine spatial]”. The firm is now calling on the FAA to “correct its report to Congress.”
Source: Ars Technica