--- title: "Russian Space Junk “Squalls” Are Really Gumming Up the Works for SpaceX" description: "A Russian anti-satellite test that took place in November is causing problems now amid a new Starlink satellite constellation's launch." date: "2022-08-11" modified: "2022-08-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-space-junk-squalls-starlink" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "anti-satellite weapons" - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # Russian Space Junk “Squalls” Are Really Gumming Up the Works for SpaceX ![A Russian anti-satellite test that took place in November is causing problems now amid a new Starlink satellite constellation's launch.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Do It ASAT Russia's [anti-satellite weapons test]() against one of its own satellites is absolutely wreaking havoc on SpaceX's activities in low-Earth orbit. As [*SpaceNews* reports](), the debris from a Russian anti-satellite demonstration that took place in November 2021 is now screwing with a bunch of the private space company's Starlink internet satellites. According to Dan Oltrogge, chief scientist at satellite risk assessment company COMSPOC, 841 Starlink satellites — a whopping 30 percent of the existing satellite constellation — had close calls with debris from a Russian ASAT "conjunction squall" that occurred after the country [destroyed its own intelligence satellite]() during last year's missile test. ## Close Encounters At the Small Satellite Conference in Utah earlier this week, Oltrogge said that there had been more than 6,000 close approaches between the Starlink satellites and the Cosmos debris, though he did not, as *SpaceNews* notes, reveal how many had to be maneuvered out of the way of the flying Russian space junk. While the Russian satellite debris [was already an issue]() before this latest fleet of Starlink satellites were launched, the new series has exacerbated it, because its orbits seem to be lining up, according to Oltrogge. "It’s the very orbit that’s put at risk by the ASAT," he said. ## Outsize Effects SpaceX is well equipped, he added, to be able to maneuver out of the way of ASAT "squalls" like this one. "If you didn’t have that automated system taking care of a spike like this," Oltrogge said, "it could be really challenging to work it though." It may also pose a risk to the International Space Station as well, the scientist said — and if that happens, you can bet that NASA will have something to say about it. Besides, it's working relationship with Roscosmos is already [pretty tense](). **READ MORE:** [Starlink satellites encounter Russian ASAT debris squalls]() \[*SpaceNews*\] **More on ASAT:** [*Everyone's Condemned Russia Blowing Up a Satellite... Except Elon Musk*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()