Satellites Used to Have Months to Avoid Collisions—Now They Have Days
SMRTR summary
Earth's orbit has become dangerously crowded with satellites and space debris, reducing collision avoidance time from months to just days. Researchers created a "CRASH Clock" showing satellites now have only 5.5 days to react to potential crashes compared to 164 days in 2018, primarily due to mega constellations like SpaceX's 9,000 Starlink satellites. Satellites now face a 17 percent chance of dangerous close approaches within 24 hours, creating an increasingly risky "orbital house of cards."
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Scientific American.
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