Swiss Confederation / Swiss Government seal.
August 18, 2020
Responding to the concerns of National Councilor Fabien Fivaz (Verts / NE) about Starlink satellites, the Federal Council relies on the 1967 Space Treaty. A bit short for Neuchâtel.
Image above: For Fabien Fivaz, the use of space for commercial purposes is a game-changer. He believes that Switzerland should act internationally.
For a year now, Starlink's "mega constellations" of satellites have been visible to the naked eye when they glow in the sun. Their first appearances in the Swiss skies aroused as much disbelief, curiosity as fear among the population. The subject came back to Parliament, where ecologist Fabien Fivaz (Verts / NE) questioned the Federal Council this summer on Switzerland's position vis-à-vis the invasion of its skies by these luminous trails.
Today, the project of the SpaceX company, founded by Elon Musk, is a little better known to the general public. Starlink wants to create a global communications system using thousands of low orbit satellites to make the internet accessible all over the planet. In the past year, 10 launches of around 60 satellites have been carried out. The latest dated August 7, 2020. In a first phase, there should be 1600 deployed about 1250 kilometers from the earth. Over the years, the goal is to place 40,000 satellites that will rotate continuously, some of them as low as 340 kilometers above sea level.
Can Switzerland intervene?
National Councilor Fabien Fivaz (Green / NE) put a series of questions to the Federal Council. Can Switzerland intervene to protect the space above the country? Can Switzerland consider making an international commitment to protect the night sky? What effects of waves on inhabitants? What are the risks for the Swiss population? Does Switzerland already have access to the details of the technology used?
For the Federal Council, Switzerland has no control over this project. It signed the UN Space Treaty in 1967 along with 109 other countries. Its fundamental principle is "the freedom to explore and use space by all States". Thus "outer space above a state is not considered sovereign space." In other words, "an object placed in low orbit around the Earth is subject to international space law, and therefore the satellites making up the mega constellations escape the principle of state sovereignty enshrined in air law". They would therefore be like stars.
Switzerland as an observer
Regarding SpaceX, the Federal Council notes that it is an American company. It is therefore in the United States that the authorizations were issued for the Starlink project by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). "This is a national procedure to which other states, including Switzerland, are not parties." In addition, for the moment in any case, the Starlink project does not cause interference with Swiss radio applications and does not provide radio services on Swiss territory. "Switzerland is therefore not affected by this project from the point of view of the use of the radio spectrum and is not informed of its technological specificities".
Starlink satellites in the Swiss night sky
In short, the Federal Council confirms what was assumed: in space, Switzerland does not have much to say. At the global level, the Federal Council says "to contribute to the efforts in favor of a safe and viable use of space in the long term within the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)" and it " promotes innovative space activities, which include not only developments related to constellations, but also the sustainable use of space ”.
"Space must not become a garbage can"
Those are many words for Fabien Fivaz, who finds these answers unsatisfactory: “We start from the principle that since 1967 we have been doing what we want in space, but these international agreements are outdated and must be discussed again. Also, if Switzerland had a project like Starlink, I don't think the United States would let its satellites fly over their country in low orbit. They know how to protect their sovereignty ”.
The national ecological advisor believes that the deployment of satellites deserves Switzerland's international commitment: “For a long time it was expensive to launch satellites and their objectives were military or scientific. Today we are making a big leap in the commercial use of outer space. Amazon also wants to launch its network with Kuiper, the Chinese are doing it too. The Federal Council lacks responsiveness and even seems to have a certain fascination with these projects. Yet these projects represent an incredible waste of resources. The lifespan of a satellite is five years. When there are 40,000, one in five will be destroyed each year and more will have to be revived. Space must not become a garbage can. "
Related article:
Panic wind among astronomers
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/05/panic-wind-among-astronomers.html
Related links:
Swiss Confederation / Swiss Government Portal:
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies of 1967 (in French, German, Italian):
https://www.admin.ch/opc/fr/classified-compilation/19670016/index.html
SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/
Images, Text, Credits: ATS/DR/Keystone/Gaetan Bally/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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