Insight to the Space Debris Menace - Blocking Low Earth Orbit Axis

जीवेषु करुणा चापि मैत्री तेषु विधीयताम् ।

Be compassionate and friendly to all living beings.​

On 4th October,1957, Soviet union launched earth's first satellite to space and this move proved a milestone in the history of space exploration. Since then, every countries tried their best to explore more and more space and gained the maximum benefits such as navigation, weather prediction, military conflicts etc. Although this was miraculous technological advancement for the modernisation and welfare of mankind yet if systematic approach is not followed then any tiny voids result to mammoth menaces. 

Space debris refers to any non-functional or discarded human-made objects in space, comprising defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, fragments from previous collisions, and even paint flecks. Most orbital debris resides within 2,000 km of the Earth's surface. Within this volume, the amount of debris varies significantly with altitude. The greatest concentration of debris is found near 750-1000 km.

Space Debris as a Threat - 

Data speaking that as of March 7th 2024, the satellite tracking website “Orbiting Now” lists 9,494 active satellites in various Earth orbits. A deeper dive into numbers of satellite that are in space reveals how small satellites have come to dominate low Earth orbit. Tiny pieces of junk might not seem like a big issue, but that debris is moving at 15,000 mph (24,140 kph), 10 times faster than a bullet. At that speed, even a fleck of paint can puncture a spacesuit or destroy a sensitive piece of electronics. Such havoc can be caused and a big thwart to the active satellites also that costs for country's finance and efforts. Since debris at high altitudes can stay in orbit for decades or longer, it accumulates as more is produced.

  Kessler Syndrome - Growth in space debris increases the risk of collisions between space objects.It can trigger the chain reaction of the theoretical concept of Kessler syndrome, resulting in the overpopulation of the Earth's orbit with objects and debris. Sooner or later space junk will be making Earth orbit not fit to use. 

Warrior responsible for space debris - 

We know that space debris is a global problem, certain countries are bigger contributors to the clutter. In the 1950s, the U.S. and Russia (formerly USSR) led the space race with the highest number of launched space objects. In the 1970s, they were joined by China, and objects from all three countries account for the vast majority of today’s space debris:🇷🇺  Russia (including USSR) 4,521 no of satellites 🇺🇸 United States 4,317 numbers,  China 4,137 number of satellites 🇫🇷 France 370🇮🇳 India 62 🇯🇵 Japan 48 while 🇨🇳 China / 🇧🇷 Brazil 25 satellites  🇪🇺 European Space Agency 22 in number, means 80% contributors are former three nations only, our beloved India is accountable for 0.8%.Though many of these are accumulated over time, thousands of debris are created in single catastrophic moments. China’s anti-satellite test in 2007 damaged its own weather satellite, creating 3,500 space debris pieces. Similarly, the 2009 collision between inactive Russian satellite Cosmos-2251 and operational U.S. communications satellite Iridium 33 created over 2,000 pieces of debris. These numbers are increasing as more countries are now in a row for the more exploration of universe, including many private players like space X ambitious plans of making constellations of satellites are elevating the number by greater extent. 

Translucent Skies to Clear Skies on the Horizon - 

Scientists and engineers are actively exploring ways to clean up debris, including concepts like space-based debris removal systems and novel deorbiting techniques.

  Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC): Established in 1993, it is an international governmental forum for the global coordination of activities concerning man-made and natural debris in space. ISRO is a member of the committee. Their work comprises of :- 

Designing to minimise space debris production during normal operations & fragmentation due to strikes. Employ launchers that do not pollute the LEO environment. Active passivation of the spacecraft. Draining of all power, fuel and energy sources. Clean Space Initiative: It is a program launched in 2012 by the European Space Agency (ESA) that targets to ensure the sustainability of the space environment for future generations. Clearspace-1: The first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit, is planned to be launched in 2026 by the ESA. 

Other initiatives are :- 

 ISRO System for Safe & Sustainable Operations Management (IS4OM): Launched in 2022, it is ISRO's holistic approach to monitor objects that pose collision threats.

Project Netra (Network for Space Object Tracking and Analysis): provides prior warning to Indian satellites if debris are on the way of collision. It can spot, track, and catalogue objects as small as 10 cm, up to a range of 3,400 km.

ISRO SSA (Space Situational Awareness) Control Centre: It was established in 2020 to function as a hub for all space situational awareness activities within India, to ensure safe and sustainable space operations.

Conclusion - Space pollution situation is alarming and demanding more robust solutions. Space debris are against the natural roadmap of the universe and as universe is expanding so might these junk restricts the orbital axis of several celestial bodies. 

Solving the complex issue of space debris can be achieved by collective actions of entire world, it's more of team work task. 

Enhanced awareness: To effectively and efficiently remove space debris, there is a need to upgrade observation technology and enhance the precision of tracking models, which will enable absolute monitoring and identification of space debris and objects in orbit.

Improved trustworthy coordination: As space traffic continues to grow, better coordination is essential. New approaches, such as automation and the establishment of "rights of way" in space, may be necessary to manage the increasing.

Debris mitigation and active removal: involves collecting and moving defunct or non-maneuverable debris to lower orbits, where it can naturally deorbit more quickly. Several technologies, such as harpoons, magnets, lasers, and slingshots, are being explored as potential means to capture space debris.

For example, in April 2023, ISRO for the first time brought down a satellite, Megha Tropiques-1, in a controlled manner after its end of life. Also Using reusable launch vehicles rather than single-use rockets can help reduce the amount of new debris produced by launches as Pushpak project is already announced by ISRO to meet the reusable launch vehicle motive. 

Regards

Bhawna Kapil