4 | MARCH 2020 | aerospaceamerica.aiaa.orgBen Iannotta, editor-in-chief, [email protected]EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK PUBLIC POLICYLearning from the
astronomer’s heartburn
The bright light of
Venus and the fl ares
caused by Starlink
satellites streak across
the sky in a long
exposure.
Mike Lewinski/FlickrS
pace entrepreneurs and government managers around the world still have a chance to do
something that hasn’t been done well in the history of technology: Plan ahead.
At the moment, the tendency is to launch fi rst and worry about the impacts on the space
environment later. As yet there is no agreed-upon, mandated method for de-orbiting broken or
worn-out satellites. No satisfactory space traffi c management scheme is in place. No process for
discovering issues like the glint from the SpaceX Starlink satellites that is disrupting astronomers’ work.
Such oversights are unacceptable, given that the space environment doesn’t belong to any single gov-
ernment, billionaire, corporation or profession.
The most telling aspect of the Starlink saga might be that the impacts on science were unanticipated.
One has to wonder what other surprises lie ahead, given that the megaconstellations are just one innova-
tion in a broad commercial revolution that’s starting to unfold. Our future could be one of space factories,
mining operations, scientifi c outposts and, in the boldest visions, human colonies. Space traffi c manage-
ment will be needed, along with optical communications, nuclear power and propulsion, artifi cial intel-
ligence and more. These technologies could bring unintended consequences ranging from the annoying
to the dire. Deconfl iction seems like a must.
Given the stakes, the space-faring nations should establish a formal process for assessing commercial
proposals for unforeseen risks and environmental impacts. Today, agencies and international organizations
deconfl ict communications frequencies and assure launch safety, but no one is scouring proposals for the
unknowns. Establishing a further-reaching review process would turn today’s collection of space enter-
prises into a true space community.
If government agencies around the world think they can leave such matters entirely to the wisdom of
the market, they should remember the deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf
of Mexico. The ensuing oil leak quickly became a political liability for U.S. President Barack Obama. A decade
later scientists continue to study the effects of the spilled oil on the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico.
Likewise, a cascading collision among satellites or other unforeseen complication could quickly become
a political liability for governments around the world. Development of the space economy could be set
back many years.
We need to learn from our history, whether it plays out in the Gulf of Mexico or an astronomer’s
telescope. ★