ZAP // Dall-E 2
The collision between space objects can have disastrous effects and trigger a chain reaction. Traffic in space is a serious problem that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
In November, a piece of space junk headed toward the International Space Station.
If the space station had not changed course, the debris could have passed within 4 kilometers of its orbital path, the agency said, which could have depressurized segments of the station and caused a great disaster.
In fact, it resembles , the International Space Station jHe’s had to do similar maneuvers dozens of times since it was first occupied in November 2000 and collision risks increase every year.
According to , there has been, throughout the history of space exploration, more than 650 “ruptures, explosions, collisions or anomalous events that result in fragmentation”.
“The number of objects into space that we have launched in the last four years has increased exponentially,” he said. Vishnu Reddyprofessor of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona. “That’s why, We are heading towards the situation we always fear“.
Here is a CNN formulation of Kessler syndrome: An explosion caused by space debris sends out a cloud of fragments that, in turn, collide with other space objects, creating more debris.
The cascade effect could continue until Earth’s orbit is so clogged with junk that satellites become inoperable and space exploration must be stopped.
For those who manage the satellites, congestion in space can be a nightmare. It is common for a satellite operator receives a dozen or more alerts per day about potential collisions.
“Even with today’s best sensors, There are limits to what can be ‘seen’ or tracked reliably, and smaller space debris is often impossible to track,” he says. Bob Hall, director of special projects at COMSPOC Corp, a space traffic software company.
At an altitude of about 300 miles (500 kilometers), objects in orbit will naturally fall back to Earth or disintegrate in the atmosphere within about 25 yearsbut in higher orbits, the problem worsens: At more than 1,000 kilometers of altitude, the process would take thousands of years.
“The most dangerous place where this Kessler Syndrome-like event can occur is in GEO” (geosynchronous orbit — a region about 35,786 kilometers from the Earth’s surface), says Reddy, the University of Arizona researcher. “Because we can’t clean it quickly.”
Since Kessler syndrome is not an instantaneous event, scientists debate whether the phenomenon may already be in motion. Kessler’s thought experiment asks researchers to consider whether — even if all rocket launches were to cease — collisions in space would continue to increase the number of objects in orbit. And it is not clear whether this point has yet been reached.
“The analogy I like to make with space debris is with plastic in the oceans”, says the professor of space engineering Nilton Renno. “We used to think the oceans were infinite and we threw trash and plastic, but now we realize that’s not the case, are finite resources. And we’re doing enormous damage if we’re not careful about what we do.”
Frueh said: “I’m pessimistic… regarding the possibility of acting in time to avoid economic losses in the process”, he also says Carolin Fruehprofessor of astronautics at Purdue University.
And the solutions?
One of them passes through cleaning technology: Companies and government initiatives are trying to develop ways to drag debris out of orbitsuch as the Drag Augmentation Deorbiting Subsystem (ADEO), developed by the European Space Agency and technology company High Performance Space Structure Systems, or HPS GmbH.
The prototype of brake spark plugwhich “provides a passive method of deorbiting by increasing the drag effect of the atmospheric surface,” was successfully deployed from the ION satellite in December 2022, according to .
There is also talk of regulation. In September, the United Nations adopted the , which includes the intention for nations to “discuss the establishment of new structures for space traffic, space debris and space resources through the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.”
“I think the biggest concern is the lack of regulation,” says Reddy. “I think the existence of some standards and guidelines presented by the industry will help a lot.”
