Re: [Starlink] "Interesting set of developments with Starlink. Musk says they will support "international aid orgs" in Gaza, Israel now says they will use "all available means" to stop SpaceX from doing so.

[David Lang <david@lang.hm>]

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On Mon, 13 Nov 2023, Alexandre Petrescu via Starlink wrote:

> It has a Donate button, which seems to make it a site built by an 
> independent end user.  It is a great tool already!   With respect to the 
> starlink sats positions: celestrak might simply reflect an original data 
> which is made by space-track.org which is a US authority.  Or maybe not, 
> they dont say it.  I dont know.
>
> My question is how is the original data on space-track.org (or other 
> original source of sat position data) created: do they range the sats 
> (i.e. point lasers at them and wait for replies, radar, or similar) or 
> do the sats transmit their positions on a voluntary and cooperative basis?

It is in the interests of every country to avoid having satellties hit each 
other, which requires that everyone have accurate information on where existing 
satellites are. The US space command (or whatever their name is under the USSF 
now) tracks everything in orbit that they can (I thinkit's everything above 
~10cm)

companies coordinate with each other when they need to move satellites so that 
you don't have two satellites trying to avoid a collision both move in a way 
that make the collision more likely to happen.

There's even an International agreement (going back to the cold war between the 
US and USSR) that requires satellite launcher telemetry to be unencrypted so 
that everyone can monitor it.

so the orbits of everything (including spy satellites) is well known and not 
some deep secret.

> Another question is about which starlink sats are 'in-service' and 
> deliver service, and which not?  It is not only a matter of altitude.  
> The current websites telling 'in-service' or similar attributes, do not 
> seem to be related to starlink, and do not seem to take that data from 
> DISHYs.  They seem to be simply telling that if it is at a 550km 
> altitude then they're in service.

What would be the value in having a satellite in the proper orbit, using a 
orbital slot, but not in use? unless the satellite electronics have failed, they 
would use it (electronics do not wear out from use)

David Lang