Pieces of unwanted debris left by humans in low Earth orbit have become the equivalent of a “new plastic island adrift” in outer space, an expert warned.
Scientific models estimate that there are more than 128 million pieces of space larger than 1 mm and 34,000 pieces larger than 10 cm.
These range from old pieces of rockets to paint flakes that broke the satellites
Now, Ekaterini Kavvada, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Defense and Space Industry, has warned that this space junk is not “a theoretical threat, but a reality” – similar to the threat posed by floating plastic islands in Earth’s oceans.
She added that the debris could cause damage to active European satellites and other satellites, adding that if we do not react safely and in a timely manner, the consequences will be “harmful”.
Pieces of unwanted debris left by humans in the low orbit of the Earth have become the equivalent of a “new plastic island adrift” in outer space, warned an expert (artist’s impression)
Speaking at the 13th European Space Conference, Ms Kavvada said: “The orbit of space debris has become the new plastic drifting island – if I should make the comparison – which poses an imminent threat to the safety and security of all traffic and of space sustainability. ‘
Fragments of space debris up to 1 cm have the potential to completely destroy satellites due to the speed at which they travel.
Artificial satellites are used in communications, such as satellite television and telephone calls, and navigation, which includes the global positioning system (GPS).
These types of spacecraft also play a role in weather forecasting, storm tracking and pollution and astronomy.
Ms. Kavvada said that since January 2019, there have been more than 5,000 satellites in space, but only 2,000 are still active.
She said: “Hopefully – and this is why we cross our fingers every day – these satellites may be able to orbit and burn especially in the atmosphere when their useful life is over.”
However, Ms. Kavvada warned that there are still nearly 3,000 inactive satellites floating in space, with recent data suggesting that there have been more than 500 ruptures or explosions of these spacecraft, resulting in fragmentation.
She said that adding satellite networks to the network, known as mega constellations, in space could lead to Kessler syndrome – a chain reaction in which more and more objects collide to create new space junk to the point in which the Earth’s orbit has become unusable.
Ms Kavvada said: “This already looks like a disaster waiting to happen.”
Rolf Densing, director of operations at the European Space Agency, who also spoke at the space conference, said: “We live in a time when mega constellations are being built and the population of objects in orbit around us is growing by thousands a year.
“So far, we have about 1,000 Starlink satellites in orbit.
“By the end of the decade, we will be talking about tens of thousands of satellites orbiting us.”
Densing said ESA’s European Space Operations Center (ESOC) receives “hundreds of collision warnings” on a fleet of about 20 satellites the agency operates.
He said: “About every two weeks, on average, we will have to go through the collision avoidance maneuver.”
Ms Kavvada said it was necessary to limit the production of space debris, avoid the generation of new debris and develop tools for the removal of existing space debris to “ensure the long-term sustainable use of space”.
She said: “Even in a theoretical scenario where no objects are added to space, the results of simulations resulting from ESA and NASA show that the critical density reached in LEO (low Earth orbit) is such that the attenuation alone is no longer enough. ‘
It is estimated that there are 170 million so-called “junk space”, but only 22,000 are tracked (artist’s impression)
Ms Kavvada added: “So today, if we do not react safely and in a timely manner… the consequences will be harmful.”
Last year, the British government awarded seven private companies £ 1 million to help track space debris as part of its space surveillance and tracking (SST) program.
The UK will also play a key role in building The Claw, which will be the first satellite to remove space debris.
As part of ESA’s Clearspace-1 mission scheduled for 2025, Claw will use a pliers movement to collect debris before offering it a controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to decompose safely and away from life.
WHAT IS SPACE JUNK? MORE THAN 170 MILLION PIECES OF DEAD SATELLITES, EXPENDITURE ROCKETS AND PAINTING SHEETS “THREATENED” IN THE SPACE INDUSTRY
It is estimated that there are 170 million pieces of so-called “space debris” – left behind after missions that may be as large as spent rocket stages or as small as paint flakes – in orbit along with about 700 billion US dollars (555 billion pounds) of space infrastructure.
But only 22,000 are being tracked, and with fragments capable of traveling at speeds of more than 27,000 km / h, even small pieces could damage or destroy satellites.
However, traditional fastening methods do not work in space because the suction cups do not work in a vacuum and the temperatures are too cold for substances such as tape and glue.
Magnet-based claws are useless because most debris in orbit around the Earth is not magnetic.
About 500,000 pieces of man-made debris (the artist’s impression) are currently orbiting our planet, consisting of disused satellites, pieces of spacecraft and used rockets.
Most of the proposed solutions, including scrap harpoons, either require or cause strong interactions with the scrap, which could push those objects in unintentional, unpredictable directions.
Scientists point to two events that have seriously worsened the problem of space debris.
The first was in February 2009, when a telecommunications satellite Iridium and Kosmos-2251, a Russian military satellite, accidentally collided.
The second was in January 2007, when China tested an anti-satellite weapon on an old Fengyun weather satellite.
Experts also pointed to two sites that have become worrisome.
One is the low Earth orbit, used by Satnav satellites, the ISS, manned missions in China and the Hubble Telescope, among others.
The other is in geostationary orbit and is used by communications, weather and surveillance satellites that must maintain a fixed position on Earth.