As the space industry grows and more space mission to the outer space in the future, the population of space debris will undoubtedly increase and such incidents on space will only become more frequent, the chances of something being struck are increasing and spacecraft in orbit could be put at risk. “Space debris” refers to the leftover components of a space system that are no longer required. It might be a satellite that has reached the end of its life (such as the International Space Station), or parts of a rocket system that have fulfilled their purpose and are discarded.
More than 27,000 pieces of space debris, are tracked by the Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors. Sometimes, when the atmosphere expands as a result of an increase in the intensity of ultraviolet light or solar activity, causing the orbital space debris to decay and the probability to hit the earth is increasing. Additionally, space debris can crash with one another, increasing the amount of debris and raising the possibility of spaceship damage. Due to the high likelihood of a collision with a satellite that is still in operation, the presence of space debris in Earth's orbit is very hazardous.
Most “space debris” is moving very fast and can reach speeds of 18,000 miles per hour, almost seven times faster than a bullet. Due to the rate of speed and volume of debris in low earth orbit, current and future space-based services, explorations, and operations pose a safety risk to people and property in space and on Earth.
Therefore, actions are required to reduce space debris generated by the government and society. If a spacecraft falls on a country, the launcher or operator must cooperate to resolve the losses incurred by a third party and the operator should ensure and prove the ability to control the spacecraft.
In order to protect near-Earth space for future generations, NASA, the United States, and the major space-faring nations of the world place a high focus on controlling the increase of the orbital junk population, such as: the creation of new debris can be reduced or stopped, satellites can be built to withstand impacts from small debris, and operational procedures like using orbital regimes with less debris, using particular spacecraft attitudes, or even maneuvering to avoid debris collisions can all be used as mitigation measures.
As the potential risk of space debris might increase in the next decade, a set of mitigation guidelines has been developed by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), reflecting the fundamental mitigation elements of a series of existing practices, standards, codes and handbooks developed by a number of national and international organizations.
The following guidelines should be considered for the mission planning, design, manufacture and operational (launch, mission and disposal) phases of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages:
Guideline 1: Limit debris released during normal operations
Guideline 2: Minimize the potential for break-ups during operational phases
Guideline 3: Limit the probability of accidental collision in orbit
Guideline 4: Avoid intentional destruction and other harmful activities
Guideline 5: Minimize potential for post-mission break-ups resulting from stored energy
Guideline 6: Limit the long-term presence of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages in the low-Earth orbit (LEO) region after the end of their mission
Guideline 7: Limit the long-term interference of spacecraft and launch vehicle orbital stages with the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) region after the end of their mission
More information about the mitigating recommendations can be found at Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines
Written by Zira A.
References:
Debris Mitigation. 2019, orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/mitigation/. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
Garcia, Mark. “Space Debris and Human Spacecraft.” NASA, 26 May 2021, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html.
“Space Debris: Assessing the Risk.” Www.esa.int, www.esa.int/About_Us/ESOC/Space_debris_assessing_the_risk. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
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