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Pieces of unwanted debris left by humans in low Earth orbit have become the equivalent of a “ new drifting plastic island ” in space, an expert has warned.
Scientific models estimate that there are over 128 million space debris larger than 1mm and 34,000 larger than 10cm.
These range from old rocket parts to flakes of paint that chipped the satellites.
Now Ekaterini Kavvada, the Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space at the European Commission, has warned that this space debris is ‘not a theoretical threat but a reality’ – similar to the threat posed by floating islands of plastic in Earth’s oceans.
She added that the debris could damage active European and other satellites, adding that if we do not react in a safe and timely manner, the consequences will be “dire”.
Pieces of unwanted debris left behind by humans in low Earth orbit have become the equivalent of a ‘new drifting plastic island’ in space, an expert warned (artist print)
Speaking at the 13th European Space Conference, Ms Kavvada said: ‘Orbiting space debris has become the new plastic drift island – if I were to compare – which poses an imminent threat to safety and security. security of all traffic and space. durability.’
Fragments of space debris as small as 1cm have the potential to completely destroy satellites due to the speed at which they move.
Artificial satellites are used in communications, such as satellite television and phone calls, and in navigation, which includes the Global Positioning System (GPS).
These types of spacecraft also play a role in weather forecasting, storm and pollution tracking, and astronomy.
Ms Kavvada said that as of January 2019 there were more than 5,000 satellites in space, but only 2,000 are still active.
She said: “I hope – and this is why we keep our fingers crossed every day – that these satellites can mostly desorb and burn off in the atmosphere once their useful lives are over.”
However, Ms Kavvada warned that there were still nearly 3,000 idle satellites adrift in space, with recent data suggesting that there had been more than 500 ruptures or explosions of these space objects, resulting in fragmentation.
She said adding arrays of networked satellites, known as mega constellations, to space could lead to Kessler syndrome – a chain reaction where more and more objects collide to create new space debris to the point where Earth’s orbit would become unusable.
Ms Kavvada said: “It already looks like a disaster waiting to happen.”
Rolf Densing, director of operations at the European Space Agency, who was also speaking at the space conference, said: “ We live in a time when mega constellations are building and the population of objects orbiting around us. grows in the thousands a year.
“Right now we have about 1,000 Starlink satellites in orbit.
“By the end of the decade, we’ll be talking about tens of thousands of satellites orbiting us.”
Densing said ESA’s European Space Operations Center (ESOC) was receiving “hundreds of collision alerts” on a fleet of around 20 satellites operated by the agency.
He said: ‘About every two weeks, on average, we will have to do the collision avoidance maneuver. ”
Ms. Kavvada said limiting the generation of space waste, avoiding the generation of new debris and developing instruments to remove current space debris are necessary to “ensure long-term sustainable use of space”.
She said: “ Even in a theoretical scenario in which no other objects are added to the space environment, simulation results from ESA and NASA show that the critical density reached in LEO (Earth orbit low) is such that attenuation alone. is no longer sufficient.
There are around 170 million pieces of so-called ‘space junk’, but only 22,000 are tracked (artist’s impression)
Ms Kavvada added: “So today if we do not react in a safe and timely manner … the consequences will be damaging.”
Last year, the UK government awarded seven private companies £ 1million 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 ever satellite to clear space debris.
As part of ESA’s Clearspace-1 mission scheduled for 2025, The Claw will use a pincer movement to collect debris, before giving it a controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, allowing it to decompose safely. and far from life.
WHAT IS SPACE JUNK? MORE THAN 170 MILLION PIECES OF DEAD SATELLITES, WORN ROCKETS AND PAINT FLAKES ARE A ‘THREAT’ TO THE SPACE INDUSTRY
There are around 170 million pieces of so-called “ space debris ” – left behind after missions that can be as big as exhausted rocket stages or as small as paint flakes – in orbit alongside some 700 billion US dollars (£ 555 billion) of space infrastructure. .
But only 22,000 are tracked, and with the fragments capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 27,000 km / h, even tiny pieces could seriously damage or destroy the satellites.
However, traditional gripping methods don’t work in space, as suction cups don’t work in a vacuum, and temperatures are too cold for substances like tape and glue.
Clamps based around magnets are unnecessary because most debris orbiting the Earth is not magnetic.
About 500,000 pieces of man-made debris (artist’s impression) currently orbit our planet, consisting of disused satellites, pieces of spaceship and worn out rockets.
Most of the proposed solutions, including debris harpoons, require or cause energetic interaction with the debris, which could push these objects in unpredictable and unpredictable directions.
Scientists point to two events that have seriously exacerbated the problem of space debris.
The first took place in February 2009, when an Iridium telecommunications satellite and Kosmos-2251, a Russian military satellite, accidentally collided.
The second took place in January 2007, when China tested an anti-satellite weapon on a former Fengyun weather satellite.
Experts also highlighted two sites that have become disturbing.
One is low Earth orbit which is used by satellite navigation satellites, the ISS, China’s manned missions, and the Hubble Telescope, among others.
The other is in geostationary orbit and is used by communications, meteorological and surveillance satellites which must maintain a fixed position relative to the Earth.
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