BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — SpaceX is urging satellite operators to share their flight paths and planned maneuvers to help prevent collisions as its Starlink network grows.
The company says it operates more than 11,000 Starlink satellites. Over six months, it recorded about 164,000 close approaches within four hours of another satellite’s unannounced maneuver.
SpaceX says Starlink encountered about 650 other maneuvering satellites in 2026, but only about half of their operators shared flight-path data. Without that information, tracking systems can lose track of satellites for hours or days.
The company says it publishes updated Starlink flight paths hourly and offers a free platform to help satellite operators identify potential collisions. It also uses onboard tracking technology to detect nearby objects, but says those tools cannot replace advanced notice from other operators.
“As the population of satellites in LEO continues to grow, we encourage every operator to adopt similar practices to prioritize the sharing of information and space safety,” SpaceX said.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
