SpaceX, which deployed 60 Starlink satellites in May and another 60 in November, expects to launch 60 more Dec. 31. Credit: SpaceX via Instagram

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — NASA says that SpaceX’s proposal for a second-generation Starlink constellation with 30,000 satellites could lead to a “significant increase” in potential collisions in low Earth orbit and interfere with the agency’s launches and scientific activities.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...