Space junk invades LEO

It seems that humans are very concerned about protecting the environment on Earth. However, for more than half a century, more and more objects have been launched into low orbits of the planet, where there are not many restrictions and the appearance of private companies participating in space missions or tours will only increase the number of huge constellations of satellites and more space junk.

The scientific community agrees that we have reached a tipping point, where debris will continue to build up even if all launches into orbit stop. This is the situation today.

9900 tons of objects in space

The number of items in space is indexed, both Satellites orbiting the earth The number of items allowed to float is like space debris. According to data collected by several space agencies, there are currently a total of 5,843 active satellites and more than 9,900 tons of objects in space in the sum of both concepts.

Number of satellites in space = 8636
Active satellite now = 5843
Objects in the SSN catalog (10 cm) = 31430
Number of Destructive Events = 630
The total mass of objects in space = 9900 tons
Estimated objects 10 cm = 36500
Estimated objects 1 cm and 10 cm = 1 million
Estimated objects 1 cm = 130 million

According to the data you provided NASAThere are currently more than 20,000 pieces of debris around our planet larger than a baseball. But that’s not all, as there are also more than half a million pieces of debris the same size as marbles in orbit. Besides all these pieces, there are also more than 100 million pieces that are less than one millimeter in size.

all of this space junk It can be a big problem when doing different space missions.

During takeoff from Earth, if a missile crosses an area where the concentration of waste is greater, it can endanger the safety of the ship and the safety of the people inside. Thousands of debris fragments also emerged from some devastating events.

dates | event | things | Fragments > 10 cm
Jan 11, 2007 ASAT China FY-1C 3500
February 10, 2009 Cosmos Impact 2251 1668
November 15, 2021 ASAT Russia Cosmos 1408 1500
June 3, 1996 Pegasus Step -2 754 missile explosion
February 10, 2009 Iridium Effect 33628
Cosmos Explosion 2421509 February 2008

What do we do with space debris?

After many decades of accumulating fast-moving debris, in the form of worn out missile stages, missing nails and paint chips, solid rocket engine debris, dead or dying satellites, and scattered debris from anti-satellite missile tests (all of which could damage or destroy other hardware) , Low Earth Orbits It’s full of space debris.

The number seems to be rising, as we are in the midst Huge constellations made up of thousands of satellitesHow starlinka broadband Internet implemented by SpaceX, and many other similar projects: another huge constellation is already underway by the company OneWeb And the project Kuiper from Amazon, which aims to create one of up to 3,200 satellites in the near future.

Other types of mechanisms have been tested to try to reduce the amount of debris circulating around the Earth, such as using A satellite that acts as a magnet He drew the rubble towards her. It is also possible to use robotic satellites responsible for collecting space debris and getting out of orbit.