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Writer's pictureNathan
Jan 31, 2022

You Should Care About Space Debris | Space Debris #2

Collision

Two satellites orbiting Earth. Iridium 33 is long and skinny, Kosmos 2251 is cylindrical and has antennas sticking out from multiple different places.
Artistic rendering of Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 moments before they collided, Credit: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

On the 10th of February, 2009 the Iridium 33 satellite collided with Kosmos 2251. Both satellites were destroyed and broke into thousands of small fragments. This was a major loss for Iridium Satellite LLC, since Iridium 33 was a functional communications satellite that cost millions of dollars to build. Kosmos 2251 was a former military communications satellite launched by Russia. It was derelict and had not been functioning for decades. It did not have a propulsion system. [1] The collision created at least 2,300 pieces of debris over 10 cm in diameter, most of which are still orbiting the Earth.


Space Debris

This collision was not a result of miscommunication or malice, it happened by accident. It is an example of the dangers of space debris, a problem that has arisen in recent years. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is filled with all kind of debris, old rocket stages, retired satellites, fragments of spacecraft, and debris created by anti-satellite tests. The Space Surveillance Network, a department of the US military, tracks approximately 27,000 items that are currently orbiting the Earth. Most of these items are larger than 10 centimeters. These items can randomly collide and destroy satellites, which makes more space debris. [2]

A model of a satellite with multiple antennas.
Model of an Iridium satellite, Credit: Cliff, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

If a small item only a few centimeters across goes undetected and collides with a manned spacecraft, it could lead to depressurization of the spacecraft and the death of everyone onboard. NASA frequently moves the ISS to avoid pieces of debris, and recently did so after Russia performed a dangerous test of an anti-satellite weapon. Space debris is a bigger problem than you might think, and it could end up changing our modern world fundamentally in a short period of time. You should care about space debris.


Kessler Syndrome

The Earth can barely be seen behind thousands of pieces of space debris. The majority of them are right next to Earth in Low Earth Orbit.
This view of Earth from above shows the amount of debris orbiting the Earth. Every white dot represents an item that is being tracked, most of which are nonfunctional satellites. Credit: NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office

Space debris could make traveling into space extremely unsafe. In a groundbreaking paper published in 1978 Donald Kessler described a phenomenon known as Kessler Syndrome. Kessler Syndrome is a name for a domino effect of collisions that could make space unsafe.

Imagine that in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) a small fragment of a solar panel were to collide with a spent rocket stage. It created thousands of pieces of debris that spread out throughout LEO, randomly colliding with both active and abandoned satellites. Within only a few weeks, spacecraft in LEO that aren't destroyed are having to constantly maneuver to avoid this cloud of debris. This rapidly depletes the fuel supply of satellites, which ends up shortening the time that they can operate. Soon, the amount of debris orbiting the Earth is out of control and it's too dangerous for humans. Astronauts are forced to return to Earth.

This is an examples of how Kessler Syndrome could happen. It is a possibility that becomes more likely every year. With each satellite that breaks up, more debris is created, making the issue exponentially worse. Kessler Syndrome could make space too dangerous for spacecraft for decades, even centuries.[3] This is not a small issue, it is the beginning of a crisis.


Why you should care

If Kessler Syndrome were to occur, then your life could change very quickly. Communication systems that provided internet, TV, or radio could be shut down. Imagery on Google Maps would not update because the satellites that take those images, such as Landsat, would be inoperable. If the crisis extends up to a Middle Earth Orbit, then GPS could be affected. Crucial data that benefits everyone could no longer be collected.

GPS (Global Positioning System) and other space-based navigation systems often go unappreciated. GPS, Galileo, and similar systems allow cars, trains, boats and planes to navigate safely to their destinations. GPS helps farmers plan and map their fields of crops. It gives wireless communication systems, financial systems, and the electric grid a way to keep track of time across the globe. Rescue teams frequently use GPS to save lost people. The system is crucial to mapping oceans and mountain ranges. Our modern world relies on a small group of satellites that tell us where in the world we are.[4] We can't lose that.

A small satellite with a long boom is hit by a small item, severing the boom.
Artistic rendering of a satellite being hit by a piece of debris, Credit: CNES/D. Ducros

Data collected by satellites orbiting the Earth save lives! NASA's Earth Observatory is a group of satellites that are constantly collecting data about our Earth. Data about soil moisture, temperature, and precipitation is used by the farmers who grow your food. Data about floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, and earthquakes helps organizations prepare for and respond to crises. These satellites save government agencies and companies billions of dollars per year. [5]

Recently, on January 15th, the most powerful volcanic eruption since 1991 occurred in Tonga. The eruption covered the island nation in volcanic ash. Satellites orbiting the Earth have taken high-quality images of the eruption and collected data on the disaster. This data has helped first responders give aid to the island nation and has given new insights into volcanism. [6]

The data that is collected by space agencies is crucial to understand climate change and make informed decisions that could decide the fate of millions of people. The science that is done to study the Earth is the most important thing that space agencies do. We can't let that stop.

There are so many reasons why spaceflight is essential to our everyday lives. I haven't even begun to talk about the benefits of microgravity research, technology development, and manned spaceflight. We shouldn't take for granted all of the things that satellites do for us. My point is that this is a really important issue. Space debris is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

We need to act, and we need to act now. What may soon become a trillion dollar industry [7] could be shut down before it has time to flourish. We need to act now before space becomes too dangerous to travel to. We need to act before companies give up on building their megaconstellations that are changing the world.

We need to save space, before we run out of space.


In an upcoming article, I am going to explain what I think should be done to decrease the amount of debris around Earth. That article will be the third and final article in my series of space debris. The first article was about how Russia's anti-satellite test endangered astronauts on the ISS.


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