Ryan Erik King
Thu, July 24, 2025
Jalopnik.
A artist's impression of a AST BlueBird satellites in orbit - AST SpaceMobile
SpaceX's Starlink satellite megaconstellation offers a wireless internet connection to most of the planet, but it comes at a cost. Astronomers have criticized Elon Musk's private space company for blinding ground-based telescopes and interfering with radio observatories. With that in mind, SpaceX had the gall to send a letter complaining about the potential dangers of a competitor's satellites to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this week. AST SpaceMobile is aiming to launch its own satellite-based internet service that you can access directly from your phone.
In fairness, SpaceX may have a point. The satellites for AST SpaceMobile's proposed BlueBird constellation are the size of a tennis court. According to Gizmodo, the massive, reflective antenna-lined array would be visible to the naked eye from the ground. The metallic sheets would be brighter than most objects in the night sky, except for the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and seven stars. Now, imagine 248 of these things streaking across the night sky. SpaceX is primarily concerned that the Texas-based manufacturer failed to conduct a basic risk assessment for maintaining a BlueBird satellite in orbit. The letter reads:
"AST underestimates its collision risk by assuming its dead satellites will stay in their optimal orientation even when AST loses control of them. AST raises serious questions about its readiness to avoid collisions by massively undercounting the number of objects it will need to avoid in its orbits."
Read more: These Are The Car-Related Movie Mistakes That Really Bother You
AST Could Disrupt Starlink's Effective Monopoly On Satellite Internet
AST staff posing for a photo standing behind on the massive array of a BlueBird satellite - AST SpaceMobile
Of course, SpaceX has a vested interest in grounding a potential competitor. Starlink customers currently connect to the network with an unwieldy flat receiver disk. While the recent launch of the backpack-portable Starlink Mini will draw more subscribers, AST SpaceMobile's equipment-less product would deal a severe blow to SpaceX in the marketplace. There would be no barrier to entry, allowing users to immediately sign up for the global 5G service. AST estimates there are 3.7 billion cellphone users around the world without access to broadband coverage that it hopes to tap into.
Competition concerns aside, SpaceX's personnel are among the most experienced in determining whether a satellite poses a risk. The Starlink operator accounts for 60% of the satellites currently in orbit and has never had a collision with another satellite. However, low Earth orbit is only becoming more crowded with each passing year. Roscomos plans to launch a Russian satellite constellation later this year and Chinese companies are already underway with their own endeavors in orbit. If the space isn't well regulated, then there could be a disaster that could endanger people on the ground or compromise humanity's access to the final frontier.
A artist's impression of a AST BlueBird satellites in orbit - AST SpaceMobile
SpaceX's Starlink satellite megaconstellation offers a wireless internet connection to most of the planet, but it comes at a cost. Astronomers have criticized Elon Musk's private space company for blinding ground-based telescopes and interfering with radio observatories. With that in mind, SpaceX had the gall to send a letter complaining about the potential dangers of a competitor's satellites to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this week. AST SpaceMobile is aiming to launch its own satellite-based internet service that you can access directly from your phone.
In fairness, SpaceX may have a point. The satellites for AST SpaceMobile's proposed BlueBird constellation are the size of a tennis court. According to Gizmodo, the massive, reflective antenna-lined array would be visible to the naked eye from the ground. The metallic sheets would be brighter than most objects in the night sky, except for the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and seven stars. Now, imagine 248 of these things streaking across the night sky. SpaceX is primarily concerned that the Texas-based manufacturer failed to conduct a basic risk assessment for maintaining a BlueBird satellite in orbit. The letter reads:
"AST underestimates its collision risk by assuming its dead satellites will stay in their optimal orientation even when AST loses control of them. AST raises serious questions about its readiness to avoid collisions by massively undercounting the number of objects it will need to avoid in its orbits."
Read more: These Are The Car-Related Movie Mistakes That Really Bother You
AST Could Disrupt Starlink's Effective Monopoly On Satellite Internet
AST staff posing for a photo standing behind on the massive array of a BlueBird satellite - AST SpaceMobile
Of course, SpaceX has a vested interest in grounding a potential competitor. Starlink customers currently connect to the network with an unwieldy flat receiver disk. While the recent launch of the backpack-portable Starlink Mini will draw more subscribers, AST SpaceMobile's equipment-less product would deal a severe blow to SpaceX in the marketplace. There would be no barrier to entry, allowing users to immediately sign up for the global 5G service. AST estimates there are 3.7 billion cellphone users around the world without access to broadband coverage that it hopes to tap into.
Competition concerns aside, SpaceX's personnel are among the most experienced in determining whether a satellite poses a risk. The Starlink operator accounts for 60% of the satellites currently in orbit and has never had a collision with another satellite. However, low Earth orbit is only becoming more crowded with each passing year. Roscomos plans to launch a Russian satellite constellation later this year and Chinese companies are already underway with their own endeavors in orbit. If the space isn't well regulated, then there could be a disaster that could endanger people on the ground or compromise humanity's access to the final frontier.
Air Force Halts SpaceX Hypersonic Cargo Rocket Tests To Save Seabirds From Potential Blasts
Ryan Erik King
Tue, July 8, 2025
Jalopnik.
Ryan Erik King
Tue, July 8, 2025
Jalopnik.
SpaceX has a history of disregarding environmental concerns as it rushes forward with an unprecedented number of launches. The private space company faced scrutiny from the New York Times last year. The newspaper detailed how a Starship launch reduced a nest of a fragile migratory bird species to a yellow smear of egg yolk and destroyed nine nests in total. It wasn't a one-off incident, but a worrying trend at SpaceX's Texas facility. In response, Musk posted on X, "To make up for this heinous crime, I will refrain from having omelette for a week." - Wirestock/Getty ImagesMore
Domino's once guaranteed that it could deliver pizzas in 30 minutes or less. The United States Air Force partnered with SpaceX in hopes of developing hypersonic rockets that could deliver 100 tons of cargo anywhere on the planet in 90 minutes or less. However, the military branch announced last Thursday that it's suspending plans for a testing program on a remote Pacific atoll. The Air Force yielded to environmental concerns that landings could endanger native seabirds, a welcome change of pace from Elon Musk's disregard for the impact of exploding SpaceX rockets showering the planet in debris.
The USAF planned to build two landing pads on the Johnston Atoll, roughly 800 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The pads would have accommodated ten landings per year, according to Stars And Stripes. Hypersonic rockets travel faster than five times the speed of sound or 3,800 miles per hour, so it's a mighty tall ask for the rocket to properly decelerate and land safely. The Center for Biological Diversity, an endangered species protection non-profit, understandably sued the Air Force as well as the Fish and Wildlife Service in June for public records related to the project. The atoll is a protected seabird refuge.
Musk Joked Before About His Rockets Killing Wildlife
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy passes the American Flag located at NASA's Launch Complex 39 Press Site as it launches the NOAA GOES-U weather satellite at 5:26 P.M. - Brandon Moser/Getty Images
SpaceX has a history of disregarding environmental concerns as it rushes forward with an unprecedented number of launches. The private space company faced scrutiny from the New York Times last year. The newspaper detailed how a Starship launch reduced a nest of a fragile migratory bird species to a yellow smear of egg yolk and destroyed nine nests in total. It wasn't a one-off incident, but a worrying trend at SpaceX's Texas facility. In response, Musk posted on X, "To make up for this heinous crime, I will refrain from having omelette for a week."
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