Us official report: people will be injured or killed by a satellite crash every two years in the future
CTOnews.com, Oct. 15 (Xinhua)-- if SpaceX's Starlink space Internet satellite continues to grow, about 28000 pieces of satellite debris will fall from the sky each year by 2035, putting people at risk of being injured or killed by a falling satellite every two years, according to a new report.
The report, commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), points out that if SpaceX continues to launch satellites as planned, about 28000 pieces of satellite debris will enter the atmosphere each year by 2035. Among them, the probability of incomplete burning of satellite debris during the fall and causing injuries or deaths to people on the ground is 0.6, which means that such an accident occurs every two years.
The report also said that the wreckage of the fallen satellite may even pose a threat to the plane. By 2035, there is a 0.0007 chance that the plane will be shot down by satellite debris each year.
CTOnews.com noted that the report was conducted against a backdrop of growing concern about space debris. In recent years, companies such as SpaceX have launched more and more satellites into space every year, which experts warn could lead to the risk of collisions between space and the ground.
The report aims to assess the risks posed by the fall of space debris, and it also shows that some risks can be reduced by strengthening regulation.
The report also points out that, like many problems in space, the world currently lacks international solutions to space debris, new satellites and the dangers that these objects may pose.
The report focuses on the clusters of satellites that SpaceX has launched and plans to launch. The company has launched 5000 such satellites and plans to significantly increase the number of launches, with SpaceX accounting for more than 85 per cent of the risk of threats to people on the ground. However, the report does not take into account other satellite networks planned by other countries.
SpaceX said the analysis used to calculate the figure was "seriously flawed" and was based on false assumptions that posed a danger to its satellites. David Goldstein, the company's chief engineer, said in a letter to FAA that the company's satellites were more likely to burn up when they entered the atmosphere than the report assumed.
