In our pursuit of space exploration and technological advancement, humanity has inadvertently created a growing challenge that orbits silently above us: space debris. This unseen menace travels at hyper-velocities around Earth, threatening everything from critical communication satellites to future human missions.
๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐
Space debris encompasses any non-functional, human-made object in Earth’s orbit. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), around 36,500 objects larger than 10 cm are currently tracked, as well as an estimated 1.2 million objects between 1 cm and 10 cm and a startling 140 million pieces smaller than 1 cm [1].
2024 saw several major fragmentation events as well as many smaller ones, together adding thousands of new debris objects [2].
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ
A global network is constantly working to track objects in Earth’s orbit. Ground based radars emit radio waves that bounce off objects, enabling operators to determine range, velocity, and trajectoryโparticularly effective for objects in Low Earth Orbit. However, atmospheric conditions can affect radar performance, and tracking higher-altitude objects requires significantly more power.
To overcome the limitations of ground-based systems, satellites equipped with optical sensors are increasingly being deployed. These satellites can continuously observe debris from orbit, providing a more comprehensive view, especially for objects in GEO which are difficult to track from the ground.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ-๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐: ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ซ๐๐ฌ
With millions of debris pieces hurtling through space, active spacecraft must frequently perform collision avoidance maneuvers. The rise of large satellite constellations has dramatically increased the maneuver frequency which uses valuable propellant.
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐
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Space debris represents a global challenge requiring international cooperation. As our dependence on satellite-based services grows, ensuring orbital sustainability becomes essential. Through comprehensive regulations, standards and coordinated global efforts, we can transform this challenge into an opportunity for responsible stewardship of our planets orbits. The future of, in particular Low Earth Orbit (LEO) which has most of the New Space activity, depends on our collective commitment to addressing this silent threat above.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐: ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ
