# Space Traffic Management: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 3, Listening Part 4

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 3, Listening Part 4. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 31 | technical | And we'd also have to develop the technical systems to enable us to prevent such accidents |
| 32 | cheap | satellites are relatively cheap these days. |
| 33 | thousands | But whole constellations consisting of thousands of them designed to work together |
| 34 | identification | it doesn't have to send back any information to Earth to allow its identification. |
| 35 | tracking | at present we don't have anything like enough proper ways of tracking them. |
| 36 | military | a satellite may be designed for military purposes. |
| 37 | location | as well as about its location at a particular time. |
| 38 | prediction | so all that the scientists can do is to put forward a prediction concerning where the satellite is heading next. |
| 39 | database | And that will involve creating a single database on which it can be entered |
| 40 | trust | But it's also essential that this system is one that establishes trust in the people that use it |

## Why these answers are right

**31. technical.** The lecturer says such a system would need a set of legal measures and would also have to develop the technical systems that prevent accidents. The note pairs legal with a second adjective, and technical is the one that completes legal and ___ ways.

**32. cheap.** One reason space is crowded is that satellites are relatively cheap these days compared with the past, so more people can afford to launch them. The note's quite ___ matches relatively cheap, giving the adjective cheap.

**33. thousands.** People now launch whole constellations consisting of thousands of satellites designed to work together. The note says constellations made up of ___ of satellites, and made up of is a paraphrase of consisting of, so thousands is the answer.

The why and the trap for questions 34 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/space-traffic-management/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Part 4, you will hear part of a lecture for astronomy students about the need for a system to manage satellites and other objects orbiting the Earth.

**Announcer:** First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

**Speaker:** In today's astronomy lecture, I'm going to talk about the need for a system to manage the movement of satellites and other objects in orbit around the Earth.

**Speaker:** In other words, a Space Traffic Management system.

**Speaker:** We already have effective Air Traffic Control systems that are used internationally to ensure that planes navigate our skies safely.

**Speaker:** Well, Space Traffic Management is a similar concept, but focusing on the control of satellites.

**Speaker:** The aim of such a system would be to prevent the danger of collisions in space, between the objects in orbit around the Earth.

**Speaker:** In order to do this, we'd need to have a set of legal measures.

**Speaker:** And we'd also have to develop the technical systems to enable us to prevent such accidents, but unfortunately, at present, we don't actually have a Space Traffic Management system that works.

**Speaker:** So why not?

**Speaker:** What are the problems in developing such a system?

**Speaker:** Well, for one thing, satellites are relatively cheap these days.

**Speaker:** Compared with how they were in the past, meaning that more people can afford to put them into space.

**Speaker:** So there's a lot more of them out there, and people aren't just launching single satellites.

**Speaker:** But whole constellations consisting of thousands of them designed to work together, so space is getting more crowded every day.

**Speaker:** But in spite of this, one thing you may be surprised to learn is that you can launch a satellite into space, and once it's out there, it doesn't have to send back any information to Earth to allow its identification.

**Speaker:** So while we have international systems for ensuring we know where the planes in our skies are, and to prevent them from colliding with one another.

**Speaker:** When it comes to the safety of satellites, at present we don't have anything like enough proper ways of tracking them.

**Speaker:** And it isn't just entire satellites that we need to consider.

**Speaker:** A greater threat is the huge amount of space debris in orbit around the Earth, broken bits of satellite and junk from space stations and so on.

**Speaker:** And some of these are so small that they can be very hard to identify, but they can still be very dangerous.

**Speaker:** In addition, some operators may be unwilling to share information about the satellites they've launched.

**Speaker:** For example, a satellite may be designed for military purposes.

**Speaker:** Or it may have been launched for commercial reasons, and the operators don't want competitors to have information about it, and even if the operators are willing to provide it.

**Speaker:** The information isn't easy to collect.

**Speaker:** Details are needed about the object itself, as well as about its location at a particular time.

**Speaker:** And remember that a satellite isn't very big, and it's likely to be moving at thousands of kilometers an hour.

**Speaker:** We don't have any sensors.

**Speaker:** That can constantly follow something moving so fast, so all that the scientists can do is to put forward a prediction concerning where the satellite is heading next.

**Speaker:** So those are some of the problems that we're facing.

**Speaker:** Let's consider now some of the solutions that have been suggested.

**Speaker:** One key issue is the way in which information is dealt with.

**Speaker:** We need more information, but it also needs to be accessible at a global level.

**Speaker:** So we need to establish shared standards that we can all agree on for the way in which this information is presented.

**Speaker:** We already do this in other areas of science.

**Speaker:** So although this is a challenge, it's not an impossible task.

**Speaker:** Then as all this information's collected, it needs to be put together so it can be used.

**Speaker:** And that will involve creating a single database on which it can be entered, as we continue to push forward new developments, congestion of the space environment is only going to increase.

**Speaker:** To cope with this, we need to develop a system like the one I've described to coordinate the work of the numerous spacecraft operators.

**Speaker:** But it's also essential that this system is one that establishes trust in the people that use it, both nationally and at a global level.

**Speaker:** One interesting development that I'll mention...

**Announcer:** That is the end of part 4.

**Announcer:** You now have one minute to check your answers to part 4.

[Practice Space Traffic Management](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/space-traffic-management)