Montreal startup NorthStar wants to play traffic cop in space

John Crassidis, the Samuel P. Capen Chair Professor and a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, spoke to The Globe and Mail (Toronto) for an article on a Montreal-based company’s plan to monitor space debris with 12 telescope-equipped satellites.

Crassidis spoke about the growth of the commercial space industry, specifically plans to launch thousands of satellites to provide internet access. “It’s good to provide internet to everyone, but these mega-constellations can cause serious problems,” said Crassidis, who added that in addition to the possibility of collisions, satellites that reflect the sun can obscure astronomers’ views of the night sky and limit scientific discoveries. “I believe that the bad outweighs the good, so I wouldn’t allow them.”

Read the story here.