Elon Musk has hit back at claims that he is take up up too much extraterrestrial real estate with hisStarlinksatellitemega - constellation . Having already launch just under 1,900 orbiter and with architectural plan to deploy thousand more , Musk articulate that there is still ample room for competitors in low - Earth orbit ( LEO ) .
address to theFinancial Times , the SpaceX and Tesla owner insisted that “ space is just extremely tremendous , and satellites are very tiny , ” while comparing the impact of his Starlink fleet to “ a couple of thousand cars on Earth . ” In spite of these reassurance , the musical scale of Musk ’s activities in orbit has attracted a significant degree of criticism .
Starlink is a constellation of Internet satellites that aims to supply global coverage , and has already gained blessing from US regulator to launch 30,000 units in the amount years . However , Luxembourg ’s economy minister of religion Franz Fayot of late chastised Musk for “ just launch configuration and satellites andthrowing Teslas up into orbit , ” while likening his actions to “ colonization ” in place .
rebut these allegation , the technical school entrepreneur said that his planet have “ not blocked anyone from doing anything , ” and that there is still room for “ tens of 1000000000000 ” of other object in scope close to Earth .
Such assertion are not universally accepted , however , and a number of scientists have express vexation about overcrowding in space . before this yr , for instance , data from the Socrates ( Satellite Orbital Conjunction Reports appraise Threatening Encounters in infinite ) database revealed that close coming upon in space – defined as situations in which spacecraft kick the bucket within 1 kilometer ( 0.6 miles ) of each other – are becoming increasingly unwashed , and thatStarlink is largely to charge .
According to the data point , Musk ’s satellites are now demand in around 1,600 close-fitting encounters every week , which constitutes roughly half of all nigh - fille . In a recent complaint to the United Nations ’ Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space , China claimed that its Tiangong space station was force to takeevasive actiontwice this year in edict to ward off jar with Starlink satellites .
In bitchiness of these concerns , numerous nation and private companies are continuing with plans to launch more objects , and theSatellite Industry Associationestimates that there could be up to 107,671 item in orbit by the end of this decade .
