Satellite Near-Misses Escalate: Who's Answering the Calls?

The increasing density of satellites in orbit has led to a critical challenge: difficulty in inter-operator communication for collision avoidance. The United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has intervened twice in the last 14 months to help prevent potentially devastating incidents. One such incident involved a conjunction between American and Chinese satellites, where UNOOSA facilitated communication after the American operator received no response from the Chinese counterpart.

Another instance occurred in June, when the Malaysian government sought UNOOSA's assistance regarding a close approach between a Malaysian satellite and one from North Korea. While the Malaysian satellite eventually moved, it remained uncertain if this was due to UNOOSA's communication or other factors. These events underscore a broader frustration among satellite operators who find it hard to identify who to contact for potential close approaches.

Major government and commercial operators often interact, but reaching smaller entities or those in countries like China and North Korea proves difficult. This issue was a frequent topic at the Space Traffic Conference, emphasizing the need for a global coordination mechanism. While UNOOSA educates member states, its own financial constraints limit its capacity. The US Office of Space Commerce's TraCSS system includes contact information, but coverage is incomplete.

Experts suggest that automated coordination, moving beyond phone numbers to API endpoints for constellation communication, is essential. The inability to directly contact operators was exemplified when an Italian operator, unable to find contact details for a decade-old Italian satellite, routed a query through multiple Aerospace Corporation offices, even to an individual not directly involved with that specific spacecraft.