Despite efforts to tackle the problem of space debris in orbit around our planet, the ESA has released a condemnatory report showing that the problem is getting worse over time, with explosive consequences.
Space debris has been accumulating since major space missions such as Sputnik 1 in October 1957 and the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in July 1969.
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Rocket boosters, discharged satellites and various spacecraft shrapnel now enhance the operational craft in orbit. With each new satellite launch and ISS mission, the risk of collisions increases, as objects destroy each other, producing even more debris.
Earlier this year, there were fears that two older satellites could collide, while the International Space Station alone has been forced to conduct emergency maneuvers to prevent three collisions in 2020 alone.
There have been 12 fragmentation events annually over the last 20 years, and the number is growing. An ESA model suggests that there are 130 million pieces of space shroud at a distance of less than one millimeter in length.
Damaged space stations and satellites are also breaking into the atmosphere on a regular basis, increasing the size and density of existing debris fields. However, the ESA is highlighting the risk of orbital explosions as a first priority in its latest report.
“The biggest contributors to the current space debris problem are orbital explosions, which are caused by left-wing energy fuels – fuels and batteries – onboard spacecraft and rockets.” Said Holger Krug, head of the ESA’s space safety program.
“Despite years of efforts to prevent this, we do not see any reduction in the number of such incidents. Attitudes towards ending the mission are improving, but at a slower pace. “
The agency highlights the need to make more extensive use of reusable rockets to reduce the amount of orbital detritus, as well as better spacecraft construction techniques that make them less likely to disintegrate over time.
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The report also suggested using stored energy and fuel to reduce the number of orbital explosions in the wreckage or to move the spacecraft to safer orbit.
This includes the so-called “cemetery orbits” or crumbling ones captured by the operational spacecraft, which will eventually drag the spacecraft to Earth where it will burn in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the agency has launched a project to collect space debris, which had a short-lived proof-of-concept concept in 2025.
Automated systems for preventing high-risk collisions are also in development, with human controllers isolating the need to track each damaged satellite and other distracted vehicles.
“Space debris also poses a problem globally for the near-Earth environment, for which all astronaut nations have contributed and for which only a globally supported solution can be the answer.” The ESA concluded in its report.
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