The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is turning into a massive satellite junkyard with debris piling up as various countries are racing against each other in an effort to place the maximum number of their satellites in orbit.
The present is witnessing more satellite debris than operational ones in space even as the countries in pursuit of technological advancement keep sending cluster after cluster to boost the advancement of the human race.
Describing such behavior in space as unsustainable, a report by the European Space Agency about the environment and safety of space stated that continuing dumping of such numbers of objects in orbit will make it hard to safely operate in space at all.
“The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is becoming increasingly crowded as countries race to launch satellites into space, and the behaviour here is not changing fast enough as more than half of operators flying at this important altitude make no attempt to sustainably dispose of their missions.”
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“This is giving rise to an unimaginable volume of space junk that could prove detrimental to further missions, astronauts and spacecraft as countries push for further space exploration,” the report stated while noting that over 23,000 objects are tracked every minute to detect potential collisions with satellites and the International Space Station.
“The amount of debris in Low Earth Orbit is increasing from the number of objects launched to their overall mass and the area they take up. Since the launch of the first satellite — Sputnik, the world has witnessed multifold increase in rockets and satellites being launched and the last few decades is seeing a change in the type of mission, with private companies launching smaller satellites than those launched by non-commercial agencies, besides increase in the number of unregistered objects.
With private companies entering the scenario, satellites are being launched into large constellations in order to provide communication services and SpaceX has led with its Starlink constellation sending 1000 small satellites to boost global internet connectivity., the report stated while adding that several astronomers have complained about these massive launches and constellations blocking the Earth’s field of view of the universe, which is already a challenge owing to the thick atmosphere. (AW)
