SpaceX has urged satellite operators to share orbital data to prevent collisions, citing increased risks from unannounced maneuvers. During the International Astronautical Congress in Turkey, senior vice president Michael Nicolls presented footage from Starlink cameras showing satellites passing within tens or hundreds of meters of other objects.
Starlink currently operates a constellation of 11 000 satellites and publicly shares its trajectory data. In contrast, some operators withhold such information, which SpaceX identifies as a major risk. In one instance last December, a Chinese satellite from CAS Space came within 200 meters of a Starlink unit, while other incidents have seen distances as low as 57 meters.
In 2026 alone, Starlink recorded approximately 650 dangerous proximity events with actively controlled satellites, yet only half of those operators shared their navigation data. SpaceX notes that some operators are restricted by national authorities, though progress in data sharing is being made with some Chinese entities.
SpaceX, which manages about two-thirds of all active satellites, uses its Stargaze initiative to provide orbital data for free. With projections suggesting up to 500 000 satellites in orbit by the end of the decade, the company emphasizes that global cooperation is essential to prevent the creation of space debris.
