Satellite junk

Wild Nahani

“Satellite junk,” also known as space debris, refers to all artificial objects orbiting Earth that are no longer useful. This includes defunct satellites, used rocket stages, and millions of fragments from collisions and explosions.

Problems

Collision Risk: Debris travels at extremely high speeds (tens of thousands of kilometers per hour). Even a small fragment can significantly damage operational satellites or the International Space Station (ISS), with an impact similar to a hand grenade.

Chain Reaction: Collisions generate new fragments, further increasing the risk of more impacts, a process known as Kessler Syndrome.

Hindrance to Future Missions: The increase in debris makes orbits more congested and dangerous, requiring active satellites to perform increasingly frequent evasive maneuvers.

Solutions and Mitigation

The space community is exploring various strategies to address this problem:

Prevention (Mitigation):

Designing satellites and rockets to re-enter the atmosphere or be moved to "graveyard orbits" at the end of their mission.

Using materials that disintegrate more easily during atmospheric re-entry.

International regulations requiring the removal of defunct spacecraft from the most critical orbits within a certain timeframe.

Active Removal:

Developing specific missions (Active Debris Removal) to capture and remove existing debris.

Proposed technologies include using nets to capture objects, robotic arms, or systems to "grab" debris and de-orbit it in a controlled manner, causing them to burn up in the atmosphere or crash into uninhabited ocean areas.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and other agencies are actively working on these solutions.

The problem of space debris is a global challenge that requires international cooperation and innovative technological solutions to preserve the peaceful and sustainable use of space.