New York (CNN Business) The emails all start the same way: "The United States 18th Space Control Squadron has identified a close approach between" your satellite and another. The messages also note the projected odds of a collision, anywhere from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1,000.

The next email could give odds that are drastically — and dangerously — different.

For scores of operators around the globe, these emails may be the only warning signs that disaster lies ahead for their satellites. But with so many variables to consider, deciding when, how, and if to maneuver a satellite to safety can be a game of high-stakes chicken.

With projected odds of 1 in 50,000, doing nothing is always an option. But what if the chances creep up to 1 in 10,000, or 1 in 3,000? Is it time to move orbits? Should the oncoming satellite move instead? What if it's a piece of space garbage, like an old rocket booster or defunct satellite?

"It's like all of us are driving on a highway in a dense fog," said Moriba Jah, an astrodynamicist at the University of Texas at Austin. "And I have no idea if I'm about to hit something in front of me, and so maybe I decide to change lanes, but do I know what's beside me?"

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