Space debris

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Hello, I am entering the thread after careful investigation of all previous posts full of precise data and options.

Excuse me in advance to oversimplify or repeat any of what is already here.

The debris danger is common awareness, which is always one of the leverages.

Spaceship, observation, and satellite technologies were not sleeping 50 years as some are questioning.

  1. Today engineering is mature, tested with numerous designs and flights. So that we can plan realistic and bald missions, including sending numerous facilities in short timelines without unnecessary too much of reinsurance and redundancy verifications.

  2. Continuous coverage is not just traffic boost with hobbies, money and defence, it has its primary tasks as survival of ecosystems and humans, supportive education.

  3. The management of projects with confidence and effective decision making, leveraging all the risks is for the space missions for sure. They should be fast and secure.

  4. These goals are set to bring space launch to a new level to leverage the traffic demand and sustain the market.

I believe, in the near future, it will be harder to launch anything to space, regardless of the amount of money. New international cooperation levels and regulations will come.

The Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS) is known for monitoring the issues of space debris and space traffic management (including the latest one Long March 5B).

There are many questions in front of active space companies, including: satellites control with AI, debris removal technologies for new launches, creating ‘traffic rules’ on the orbit.

Still, there are no clear requirements to escape the stages falling down to earth. The Aerospace Corporation wouldn’t be a strong shield with the dramatic launches increase.

Multistage rocket launches were one of the issues for selecting rocket launch sites till about 1990’s passivation implemented.

Though nowadays multistage rocket parts are recommended (UN, ITU) to be moved to a disposal orbit, they can either burn in the atmosphere or become space debris. Moreover, exclusions still exist, threatening to reach the earth surface. Question is where the debris hit the earth: in deserted places, Russian tundra or a crowded city?

There are many questions in front of active space companies, including: satellites control with AI, debris removal technologies for new launches, creating ‘traffic rules’ on the orbit.

Still, there are no clear requirements to escape the stages falling down to earth. The Aerospace Corporation wouldn’t be a strong shield with the dramatic launches increase.

Under these activities definitely should be the ‘data collection’ stage. Thousands of satellites are launched yearly and become junk after a couple years. Additionally, old technology launched years ago out of order facilities carry hazardous particles (e.g. Uranium from Cosmos-1402 ).

There is no current overall picture of what is an impact of the debris entering the Earth atmosphere. Mostly, the particles stay in the higher layers.

Data is being manipulated or giving not enough explanation every time. Even mathematically, the trend with current spike may not be predicted correctly.

In the US both NASA and the U.S. Space Force track space debris, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors space weather, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office coordinates the search for potentially hazardous asteroids and other near-Earth objects (NEOs).

The European Space Agency (ESA) has pulled all these activities together under the umbrella of its Space Situational Awareness program.

The key should be in collecting all the data together and handling it with the help of Data Science methods.

NASA and the European Space Association started working on partnership, including the debris issue.

Atmosphere changes are being monitored from the National agencies, but space debris impact is considered to be minor, compared to the on-Earth human activities (with no exact data).

Mega-constellation operators and their regulators could respond that they are exercising the right to explore and use space without discrimination, however, the use of slots in geostationary orbit is mediated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which does not play the same role in LEO.

However, new analysis methods could mitigate some of these effects, but data loss is inevitable, increasing the time needed for each study and limiting the overall amount of science done.

The facts imply urgency. Today actions on the debris removal gets more awareness and action:

  • ESA announced launches of debris removal facilities till 2025;
  • There are lots of internships proposed by different companies, including those directed especially for debris removals.

I am looking forward to such orchestration deployed for Earth surveillance and it’s citizens’ urgent issues.

These goals are set for bringing space launch to a new level to leverage the traffic demand and sustain the market.

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