SpaceX Urges Data Sharing to Help Address Orbital Debris

Addressing orbital debris risks would involve all satellite operators sharing and regularly updating ephemerides, reasonable covariance, contact information and maneuverability status on Space-Track.org, SpaceX representatives told FCC Space Bureau staffers, said a docket 18-313 filing Thursday. SpaceX said operators also should share maneuvering capability on satellites operating near and above inhabited space stations. And it argued using an aggregate collision probability metric "would inject significant uncertainty and bias into the Commission’s orbital debris mitigation rules that would harm responsible, U.S.-licensed systems."