The Federal Aviation Administration announced on February 17 that it intends to fine SpaceX $175,000 for failing to provide collision avoidance data prior to last year’s Falcon 9 launch. The FAA said it notified SpaceX of a planned penalty for failing to provide launch collision analysis data at least seven days before the launch of 53 Starlink satellites as part of a mission called Starlink 4-27, which launched with Falcon 9 on Aug. Cape Canaveral. Space Force Station in Florida.

Under federal launch license rules, a launch operator such as SpaceX must provide data at least seven days prior to launch showing that the launched object has no more than a 1 in 100,000 chance of colliding with any satellites or tracked orbital debris, or otherwise adequate from those satellites. and distance from debris. This threshold increases to 1 in 1,000,000 for potential collisions with crewed vehicles with longer distances.

According to the FAA, SpaceX did not provide this information prior to the Starlink 4-27 mission. It is unclear why SpaceX did not provide this information for this launch. SpaceX did not immediately respond to questions about the proposed fine; The company rarely responds to media inquiries. If SpaceX fails to provide this information, it could face a federal fine of up to $262,666, after adjusting for inflation. “After reviewing all the information in our investigation file, we offer a civil penalty of $175,000,” the FAA wrote in a letter to SpaceX.

The FAA offered to meet with SpaceX at an “informal conference” to discuss the proposed fine and allow the company to provide information for review. SpaceX has 30 days to decide whether to attend such a meeting or other unspecified alternatives. Avoiding collisions has become a challenge for the FAA and launch vehicle suppliers, given both the increase in the number of launches and the increase in orbiting satellites and debris. SpaceX alone completed 61 launches in 2022, a record for the company.

On some launches, there are days when collision avoidance distances cannot be achieved. “Due to the congestion we have and the density of some of our orbits, some days you just can’t get there,” said Steph Earle, chief of space policy and outreach for the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Administration. . Panel discussion at the FAA Commercial Space Transport Conference on Feb. This is especially true for new launch operators who do not have experience using probability calculations in their vehicles, he added.

“They want to launch, and it’s too late to avoid collision, maybe a week, two weeks ago,” he said, “just to find out it’s full and there’s no open window.”

He said there may be new technologies that can mitigate these issues, but may require broader change in how collision avoidance is handled. “We can’t use the same kind of paradigms we used before.”