Context: Canada's NorthStar Earth & Space and Thales Alenia Space will begin work on a commercial satellite system to combat the threat of collisions in space.

• They will build the first three satellites of its “Skylark” constellation.
• This 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.
• A full system of 12 satellites is expected to launch in 2024.
• Data from the constellation could be used by groups from insurance companies to commercial satellite operators.
• 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.
• 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.

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/now-a-satellite-system-to-combat-space-collisions/article32961082.ece?homepage=true

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