US Earth imaging satellite fleet is creating ‘low-cost orbital landmines’, China team says

A team of Chinese researchers has criticised the world’s largest Earth-imaging satellite fleet, describing the shoebox-sized spacecraft as “low-cost orbital landmines” that threaten the safety of space operations.

Using a self-developed tracking platform, software scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences analysed the Dove constellation – which has launched hundreds of CubeSats since 2013 to provide daily, medium-resolution imagery of the Earth’s surface – according to the team’s article posted on Chinese social media on July 21.

The Chinese team said the thruster-less satellites operated by San Francisco-based Planet Labs, posed a growing threat to space safety.

They found that by early July more than 80 per cent of the 662 Dove satellites had deorbited, raising concerns about uncontrolled re-entry and potential collisions. They also noted that more than 100 Doves listed in public databases, including the US Space Force’s tracking website, were assigned “incorrect or fabricated” identification codes and lacked orbital data.

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SpaceX Starship explodes during routine pre-launch ground test

SpaceX Starship explodes during routine pre-launch ground test

“The Dove constellation has reshaped the commercial Earth observation industry with its low-cost, high-frequency observation model,” the researchers wrote. “However, it may be turning valuable low Earth orbits into a dangerous ‘minefield’.”