📈 69% of S&P 500 stocks beating the index - a historic record! Pick the best ones with AI.See top stocks

NorthStar and Thales Alenia Space begin work on satellites to combat space collisions

Published 10/27/2020, 06:30 AM
Updated 10/27/2020, 08:10 AM
© Reuters. Three of NorthStar's Skylark satellites detect other satellites in Earth's orbit in an undated artist's rendering
TCFP
-
LDOF
-

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Canada's NorthStar Earth & Space and Thales Alenia Space said on Tuesday they will begin work on a commercial satellite system to combat the threat of collisions in space.

NorthStar, an information service company, said it has contracted Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between France's Thales and Italy's Leonardo, to build the first three satellites of its "Skylark" constellation.

Montreal-based NorthStar said the constellation would be the first commercial service to monitor objects like satellites in space from space, where they can be tracked more precisely than from Earth.

Seattle-based LeoStella LLC will oversee the final assembly of the satellites, which are expected to launch in 2022. A full system of 12 satellites is expected in 2024, said NorthStar co-founder Stewart Bain in interview.

"We are deliberately international because this is an international problem," Bain said.

While the United States and other governments already collect such data, demand for near real-time information that is commercially available is growing rapidly as experts forecast a "new space" economy worth over $1 trillion a year.

Data from the constellation could be used by groups from insurance companies to commercial satellite operators, Bain said.

The 2009 collision between a spacecraft operated by U.S. communications group Iridium Satellite LLC and a Russian Cosmos-2251 military satellite sent at least 600 pieces of debris off into space and raised fears that other satellites could be struck and damaged.

More recently, some researchers suggested in May that countries should levy an "orbit congestion charge" on satellite operators to tackle the growing concentration of space junk like debris, although others doubted the practicalities of such a fee.

© Reuters. Three of NorthStar's Skylark satellites detect other satellites in Earth's orbit in an undated artist's rendering

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.