Why space becomes a more dangerous place to do business

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OneWeb does not want to make the problem of unwanted waste worse, Wyler told CNN Business. He is therefore committed to removing his satellites once their work is done. He said that he thought about the issue of debris as well as environmental issues.

"There are so many ideas for satellites that are realized without taking into account the complete cycle of the system: what happens to the plastic bottle when you throw it into the ocean?" he said. "It's the same problem – it's just on a different scale."

According to one estimate, the number of satellites in our skies should more than triple over the next decade, with the addition of 7,000 new devices.

Experts worry that when space becomes more crowded, collisions can trigger disastrous chain reactions. This could mean the end of scientific exploration, GPS service, satellite TV, the Internet and telephone service for millions of people.

OneWeb satellites will retain enough fuel to return to Earth's end-of-life atmosphere. And Wyler said they would also be equipped with additional equipment that would allow a grapple to easily take off and drag nonreactive satellites out of their orbit.

"These are expensive technologies," he said. "But these are things we simply have to do to be good citizens."

It would take more than 2,000 years to Earth's gravity to drive OneWeb satellites out of their orbit if they were left alone at the end of their life. But OneWeb is committed to desorbing them within five years of being taken offline.

A recent NASA study suggested that all satellite operators will need to adopt this standard to reduce the risk of cataclysmic collisions.

Wyler said he was lucky that OneWeb sponsors, including giants like Softbank and Coca-Cola, were willing to spend extra money to be good stewards of the company. space.

There is also a commercial advantage: Keeping their orbital aircraft clean will be critical for companies like OneWeb investing billions of dollars in their constellations, according to Shagun Sachdeva, an analyst at Northern Sky, who has researched megacellations and the management of aircraft. orbital debris.

A big question is whether the larger, cost-conscious private sector will invest in adding technologies to its satellites.

There is no sanction for companies that do not comply with NASA recommendations or the much lighter international directive, which is to deorb satellites within 25 years of closure.

"Everyone regards space debris as a very big problem," Sachdeva said. The question is whether enough will be done to avoid a disaster.

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