The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 143 small satellites into polar orbit on Sunday in the company’s first dedicated “rideshare” mission, responding to the growing demand for low-cost access to space by companies and smaller non-traditional centers.
The “Transporter 1” resolution was also a reminder of the ongoing debate about what role government should play in managing an increasingly crowded land of low orbit. Land where accidents creating shrapnel at high speed threaten other spacecraft.
“There are no universally accepted‘ rules of the road ’for the safety of space operations, much less a regulatory rule for active risk management and accident prevention,” NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel wrote in their 2020 annual report. recently published.
“As the potential for orbital crashes increases with increasing density, it is important to understand that threats to astronauts, critical national security capabilities and global space trade are also growing.”
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Running late due to bad weather, the Transporter 1 mission began with a ground-shaking roar at 10 am ET when the Falcon 9 lifted out of Cape Canaveral and took off on a rare southeastern route toward orbit 326- mile-high around the poles of the Earth.
After launching the rocket out of the low atmosphere, the first stage, making its fifth flight, crashed and flew ashore on target on an east-coast offshore drone. south of Miami. This was SpaceX’s 73rd successful renaissance and the 51st at sea.
The 143 satellites at the top of the second level were the largest single-rocket launches, down from the 104-satellite signal previously launched by the Satellite India Launch Vehicle in the February 2017.
“Excited about offering low-cost access to orbit for small companies!” SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted on Friday.
SpaceX costs a relatively low $ 1 million for a 440-pound satellite and $ 5,000 to launch for every 2.2 pounds above that base rate. The company says Transporter missions will be conducted every four months or so as needed.
On Sunday’s flight there was a smorgasbord of CubeSats, nanosats and other small spacecraft donated by several companies and institutions.
The announcement included 10 of SpaceX’s Starlink internet relay stations, pushing the total number launched to date to 1,025, 48 SuperDove terrestrial satellites built by Planet and a mix wide range of “smallsats” given to commercial applications, technological development, scientific research. and education.
Celestis commemorative spaceflight company aloft cremains aloft in small vessels representing 114 “partners,” including ashes from the late CBS News Radio journalist Dave Barrett, who loves a lifelong space .
Rideshare flights is a recent commercial innovation that allows companies and institutions to get relatively fast at an affordable price on a place they might not otherwise be able to get.
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But critics worry that the growing number of satellites, without government regulation and control, will shift to a greater risk of potentially catastrophic crashes.
The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel identified space debris as a “key safety issue” and “the key contributor to crew prediction loss calculations” for SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner astronaut ferries and the Lockheed Martin Orion deep space capsule.
Space debris also contributes to two of the three main threats facing the International Space Station.
“The threat continues and grows exponentially,” the report said. “Space is becoming more crowded. For example, CubeSats and other small satellites are being launched with increasing frequency, and several companies are now using mega-constellations with hundreds, or even thousands. , of satellites. “
The US Space Force provides satellite tracking, but it is becoming increasingly difficult and there is no regulatory framework that governs active risk management and accident avoidance.
“With the recent rise in non-traditional commercial space operations, including satellite servicing, space tourism and the use of large numbers of satellites to provide internet access around the world, perhaps that updating existing roles and responsibilities will be appropriate, “said ASAP.
“As things stand today, there are no clear lines of authority to drive coherence among the many entities operating in space.”