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The large satellites used for television broadcasting could be quickly and easily reused as asteroid deflectors if a space rock threatened Earth, according to a study by European aerospace company Airbus.
The study, which is part of a mission concept called Fast Kinetic Deflection (FastKD), was commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), as part of its efforts to prepare for a doomsday scenario that will occur. certainly someday (although that day might be in the very distant future).
The telecommunications satellites that are found in what are called geostationary orbit at the altitude of 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) the circle of the Earth at a speed that corresponds to the rotation of the planet, thus appearing permanently suspended over a certain region. These satellites are usually very large, like a small bus. They could weigh 4 to 6 tons, which would give them enough force to alter the trajectory of an approaching space rock.
Yet, as Albert Falke, who led the FastKD study at Airbus, told Space.com, it would take maybe 10 of these spacecraft hitting a 300-meter-wide asteroid in a short period of time to change its course enough to avoid the planet.
Related: Potentially dangerous asteroids (images)
Readily available
“These telecommunications platforms, besides being large and heavy, are also built with a fairly high frequency,” Falke said. “This means that we can expect them to be readily available at integration facilities. [of satellite manufacturers]. This is something we can take for granted. “
In 2019, for example, 15 geostationary satellites were ordered by commercial satellite operators around the world, according to News.
In the scenario that Airbus is exploring, if astronomers detect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, all satellite manufacturers around the world will have to start converting the telecommunications satellites they are currently building into anti-asteroid weapons. All of these missions should be launched within about a month to reach the asteroid around the same time.
The combined effect of satellites crashing into Earth’s rock can change its course by just an inch or two, but that would be enough to veer it off course and avert disaster if done long enough before impact. expected.
“The bottleneck [for the success of such a mission] will be the rockets, ”Falke said. “We think we can expect around 10 to 15 launches available in a month worldwide. “
Necessary preparations
Airbus chose available technology over building a new spacecraft from scratch for a simple reason: Astronomers can only spot an asteroid on a collision course with Earth a short time in advance. The deflection mission could take between six and 18 months to reach its target, which could give engineers around six months to prepare the craft.
“The detection of asteroids has improved a lot over the past few decades, ”Falke said. “There are huge observation programs, mainly driven by NASA. Thus, all large asteroids, 1 km (0.6 miles) and larger, should be known. But of course there are some that have not been able to be observed in the past because their orbits are six to eight years old, and their last close approach may have been before these telescopes were set up, ” he added.
It is theoretically possible that a threatening asteroid will be spotted tomorrow, with only a few months before a devastating encounter with Earth, Falke added. Some smaller bodies, like the 2013 Chelyabinsk asteroid, which set off a shock wave that injured around 1,200 people in Russia, could arrive completely unnoticed.
In order to be able to carry out a rescue mission in orbit, the communications satellites would have to be equipped with a special module allowing the communication in deep space, as well as the navigation and guidance necessary for the approach of the asteroid. These modules remain to be developed. Ideally, they would be built and tested in advance and be ready for an emergency.
“We need to have concrete plans on how to make this deflection module and put it on the telecommunications platform,” Falke said. “Then we have to do a very quick qualifying and testing activity before we put this deflection system on the launch pad.”
Widespread destruction
Humanity, according to Falke, should want to be prepared. If a 300m-wide asteroid, such as the one envisioned in the Airbus study, struck anywhere in central Europe, it would cause widespread destruction across the continent.
“Such an impact would produce a shock wave as well as firestorms and earthquakes,” Falke said. “A lot of material would be released into the atmosphere and then descend further from the impact zone. I think that all of Europe would have to be evacuated and that all the flora and fauna would be destroyed in the months and years that followed. . an impact.”
Falke is careful to say if an asteroid over 300m in diameter could still be deflected using this method. But it is an important question. The asteroid that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs about 60 million years ago is said to be at least 6 miles (9.6 km) in diameter.
“If the asteroid gets bigger [than 1,000 feet], it gets more difficult, “Falke said.” But the good thing is that these large objects will be known a long time in advance so that we have time to prepare. “
Humanity seems to be in a better position than the dinosaurs. The world’s first asteroid deflection experiment is set to take place next year when a NASA mission called DART is expected to crash into a small asteroid Dimorphos, which orbiting a larger asteroid Didymos. The goal is to change the orbit of Didymos, which is 520 feet (160 m) wide, with a 270 pound (600 kilogram) spacecraft.
The results of the study have been present at the 2021 Planetary Defense Conference
Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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