SpaceX has altered the orbits for its Starlink satellites, likely to prevent them from colliding with debris from Russia’s anti-satellite missile test.
On Tuesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk mentioned the issue after NASA abruptly delayed a spacewalk on the International Space Station due to the threat of space debris. In his tweet, Musk said: “We had to shift some Starlink satellite orbits to reduce probability of collision. Not great, but not terrible either.”
Musk didn’t explicitly blame the space debris on Russia’s anti-satellite missile test. Nevertheless, the “Not great, but not terrible” quote may be a subtle jab at the Russian government. The same line is used in the HBO series Chernobyl, which dramatizes the 1986 nuclear plant disaster in the Soviet Union. (In the show, a nuclear plant worker utters the line “Not great, but not terrible,” when in reality the conditions at the facility are catastrophic.)
Last month, the US was quick to condemn Russia’s anti-satellite missile test, which involved the Kremlin sending up a missile to destroy one of its own defunct satellites. The ensuing impact caused hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris to spill out into orbit, according to the US.
Because space debris can travel up to 17,500 miles per hour, even a small artifact can cause serious damage if strikes a spacecraft or an astronaut. "Russia's dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space,” the US State Department said at the time.
However, Russia claims the resulting debris poses no danger to any space activity. The Kremlin also points out other countries have embarked on their own anti-satellite missile tests too.
To avoid space debris, SpaceX has equipped each Starlink satellite with an “autonomous collision avoidance” system. The same satellites will eventually descend and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within one to five years if the propulsion system on board ever fails.
In his tweet, Musk added that the International Space Station and SpaceX’s own Dragon craft possess “micrometeorite shields,” which can withstand high-velocity impacts. However, spacesuits lack such protection, hence the need for NASA to cancel the spacewalk.