NEED TO REMOVE SPACE DEBRIS

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Image Source- The Times of India

NEED TO REMOVE SPACE DEBRIS


Space Debris

Initially, the term "space debris" referred to natural objects in the solar system, such as asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. However, since the establishment of NASA's Orbital Debris Program in 1979, the term also encompasses human-made debris, including defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from their deterioration or collisions.

Quantity of Space Debris

As of December 2016, five major satellite collisions have contributed significantly to space debris. According to the European Space Agency in 2018:

  • Approximately 29,000 objects larger than 10 cm are in orbit.
  • Around 750,000 objects measure between 1cm to 10 cm.
  • An estimated 166 million objects range between 1mm to 1cm in size.
  • Over 170 million fragments smaller than 1cm.
  • Around 670,000 fragments measuring 1–10 cm.
  • Approximately 29,000 larger pieces orbiting Earth.

Artificial debris in orbit includes broken satellites, rocket components, and other remnants of human activity in space. As of July 2013, there were:

Envisat, a defunct satellite, is among the largest pieces of space debris. It measures approximately 30 feet long by 16 feet wide (9 by 5 meters) in length and weighs about 17,600 pounds (8 metric tons). Its size and solar arrays give it a massive profile, posing a significant risk in low Earth orbit.

Currently, around 1,886 dead satellites orbiting the Earth. Additionally, debris is present in heliocentric orbits around the Sun, alongside natural celestial objects like planets, comets, and asteroids.

Impact of Space Debris

Space debris poses multiple risks:

  • Re-Entry Threats: Satellites falling back to Earth may either burn up in the atmosphere, potentially impacting global temperatures, or require substantial fuel to deorbit safely.
  • Collision Risks: Significant collisions have already occurred, raising concerns about the safety of current and future space missions.

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey,  said in the announcement- "Accordingly, to keep up the wellbeing of present and future space resources, the issue of the control and decrease of the space debris must be tended to."

Addressing the issue

International guidelines currently recommend that satellites be removed within a reasonable timeframe after their missions end. However, without active debris removal technologies, Earth's orbital space could become increasingly unstable.

To prevent the Kessler disorder—a cascade of orbital collisions predicted by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in the late 1970s—space agencies estimate that at least five large, defunct satellites should be removed from low Earth orbit annually.


Curiosity

What if we make national laws for the prevention and mitigation of space debris?


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