SpaceX is asking satellite operators to share their planned maneuvers more consistently, arguing that missing orbital data creates avoidable close approaches with Starlink.
The company's October 6 safety update says only about half of roughly 650 maneuvering third-party satellites involved in Starlink conjunctions this year were sharing ephemeris data.
Ephemeris is a prediction of a spacecraft's position over time. A maneuver can quickly make an older prediction less useful if the operator doesn't tell others what changed.
SpaceX describes an August incident in which a Starlink satellite received an updated warning just 30 minutes before a close approach. It says the vehicle changed its orientation to reduce its exposed area, and the objects passed within 134 meters.
That account comes from SpaceX. It isn't an independent reconstruction of the other operator's decisions or the encounter.
The report follows May's launch of a space safety web interface, designed to make coordination easier for participating operators.
The platform documentation explains its trajectory sharing and conjunction screening. The tools are free to participating spacecraft operators, with results typically available less than a minute after submission.
The need for coordination will remain relevant as the constellation grows. SpaceX has just deployed its first 26 V3 satellites using Starship.
We've also covered earlier deorbiting measures, which address another part of managing the fleet.
SpaceX's argument is that detecting a maneuver afterward leaves less time to respond than receiving the planned trajectory beforehand. Better observations can help, but timely cooperation is still a separate requirement.
