Satellite CEOs Talk Orbital Debris Concerns

The satellite industry is "at a bit of a crisis" on orbital debris, SES CEO Steve Collar said in a Satellite 2021-related panel Tuesday. Collar said the penalties need to be sufficiently high to dissuade behavior that could create problems. "We are at danger of getting that wrong," he said. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said that until orbital debris rules are better defined, "everybody should be a good steward" of low earth orbit (LEO). She said SpaceX is "concerned" about high-altitude satellites of 1100-1500 km because of how long debris could remain in orbit. She said a satellite without propulsion capability "is not a great thing [and] puts a burden on everyone else." Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg urged a global discussion about debris issues like overlapping orbits of constellations. Shotwell said SpaceX has about 1,320 of its first-generation satellites in orbit now and global reach, but it doesn't yet have full connectivity globally. Once it does, the plan is to continue adding satellites for additional capacity, she said. She said there will be a variety of polar launches this summer. Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer said geostationary orbit (GEO) will still be significant source of profitability for the foreseeable future, and the company is focusing on that. LEO will become relevant someday for telecommunications, but when and the economic challenges of LEO constellations aren't clear, he said. Hughes Network Systems President Pradman Kaul said his company's partnership with OneWeb is letting it approach potential customers with a joint GEO/LEO strategy.