Space-based time bombs: the potential for orbital debris to sabotage your internet and GPS connection

While the planet is preoccupied with the topic of colonizing the moon and Mars, there is a threat, although not so romantic, looming in the background and above our heads,” said one NASA spokesperson recently. Our planet is reportedly experiencing congestion in space with space debris, threatening an electronic domino effect to shatter the Internet, the GPS system, and weather forecasts.

This is a nightmare that is referred to as Kessler Syndrome, and experts say this is no longer a theoretical reality.

Space debris refers to all man-made objects orbiting Earth that have lost all functionality. This includes dead satellites, non-functional rocket phases, parts from various explosions, unwanted equipment, and extremely small pieces created by previous collisions. One major reason space debris can be considered so harmful is that once these objects become orbiting near Earth, they become susceptible to collisions with functional

The objects are relatively small, but their speed is in excess of 28,000 kilometers per hour. This speed is sufficient for a metal screw, which is a piece of hardware, to shatter an operational satellite that may cost a few hundred million dollars.

According to NASA, there are millions of pieces of debris, ranging from very large to very small, orbiting around the Earth, with the greatest percentage of the objects being undetectable using today’s satellite technology.

Orbiting Debris and the Risks

The Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where communication satellites, navigation satellites, and observation satellites orbit, is the orbit where the International Space Station is currently placed.

The more satellites that are orbiting, which is from 12,000 current orbiting satellites to 40,000+ by the early 2030s, the greater the potential for a collision of these satellites. A collision between a satellite and another object creates debris. Each piece of debris is a potential collision-triggering object.

In this manner, a disaster may evolve out of a single event.

What is the Kessler Syndrome?

The Kessler Syndrome was postulated by Donald Kessler in 1978. Once a certain level of debris was reached, he proposed that a kind of self-reinforcing chain reaction of collisions could occur.

In simpler terms:

· One collision yields more debris

· The more trash, the more crashes_

The whole orbit area becomes nonusable.

If this happens in Low Earth Orbit, it might become impossible to think of satellite launch within a period of decades. The current communication systems like broadband internet, satellite telephony, GPS systems, and television might collapse on a gigantic scale.

Actual damage has begun occurring

It is far from a theoretical risk. The European Space Agency knows instances where an originally damaged spacecraft, in millimeters, incurred harm from debris. This is the famous case in which a micro-piece of debris destroyed a window for the International Space Station.

In space, even a pinpoint hole is sufficient to rupture a space suit. This is because in a vacuum such as that of space, there

How much debris is up there?

Each launch exacerbates the issue of congestion. Even carefully planned missions are hazardous unless a satellite has a mechanism to return to Earth in a controlled manner after it has lived out its useful life.

Satellites which have died and are uncontrolled in orbit pose a potential danger. Thousands of satellites orbit the Earth as if they are unchecked landmines.

From an economic perspective, the potential consequences are enormous. There are already costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year because of the matter of debris. Losses of over USD 1 billion by 2030 have been projected, unless action is taken.

What the world has planned for cleaning Earth’s orbit

ESA has recently initiated *The Zero Debris Charter* in an attempt to significantly limit debris within Earth’s orbits by 2030. The main aims of this campaign include:

Preventing new debris

Debris removal: How satellites can burn up harmlessly when they’re

Orbits and Explosions: Analyzing

Debris tracking enhancements

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Protecting People on Earth

Leaving space for the next generation

Various solutions are being tried and tested by scientists and engineers:

Satellites which can self-destruct when they re-enter the atmosphere

Modular space vehicles that are capable of being maintained or refueled in orbit. Spacecraft that are

Active Debris Removal with Robotic Arms, Nets, Harpoons, or Laser Technology

The Make-or-Break Decade

A single major event could disable the global availability of GPS, cellular communications, meteorology, and emergency response. Estimated damage in global economic costs is over $200 billion.

The coming years will make or break the habitability of our planet’s orbit. There is universal consensus on three action points: Investing in clean-up efforts, Implementing tough regulations on launches, and Sharing data on tracking.

The longer it takes to act, the more likely it is that humanity will find itself left behind, missing out on the best use of space, and missing out on space itself.

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