Problem space debris This is getting more and more serious. Fragments of parts used in space missions roam the Earth until, at best, they are leaving orbit and they return to our planet, burning up, crossing the atmosphere, and turning into ash. But other problems may arise. For example, while they remain floating in space, they can collide with each other, creating domino effect or, directly, collide with a satellite or even a ship or space station. Moreover, upon returning to Earth, they may not burn up sufficiently and get out of the control of scientists on Earth, falling in unexpected places and causing accidents. With all this, European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a plan to find a way to reduce waste in space to zero.
It won’t be easy. In fact, some technologies are required that do not yet exist today. However, ESA warned that this is not the biggest problem with their plan. The hardest thing will be to get what you need cooperation of other space agenciesboth public and private.
Everyone must agree to take action to eliminate space debris, and they must do it together, keeping other companies informed of each step. This will be the most difficult thing, because although today we are no longer talking about such serious competition as when the United States faced the Soviet Union, all agencies want to be first, and to do this sometimes they forget about the common good. This is the first thing we will have to work on, and no doubt it will be even more difficult than creating advanced technologies that can destroy space debris.
Why is the space debris problem so serious?
As explained in Universe todayThere are billions of pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth, and more than 25,000 of these pieces they are more than 10 cm. It may seem that 10 centimeters is not enough, but it is enough to make dangerous accident. The space is huge, but the area occupied by all these parts is not that big. All of them are in orbit around the Earth. For this reason, it will not be difficult for them to collide with each other or with any object of human construction that is still in use.
These works may have different origins. Some of them are remnants of explosions during failed missions. Others are objects that have a long lifespan; but, as soon as their mission was completed, they left and remained to wander the Earth. There are also remnants of rockets that, after the ship they launched were released from Earth, became stuck in space if they failed to fall to Earth. There are even smaller fragments. ship engine launched from our planet or as a result of the destruction of other larger parts due to collisions with space objects or exposure to the space environment. There is everything. Some of these objects are dangerous in space, but others are dangerous here on Earth.
According to a study published in 2022, there is 10% risk piece of space debris that fell on a person in the next decade. This would happen if, as we saw earlier, falls out of orbit uncontrollably. At the moment this has not happened, but there have been cases of falling fragments of space debris. near human buildings. Or even inside. When this happens, space agencies try to wash their hands as often as possible. For this reason, ESA believes that international cooperation, although necessary, will be very difficult.
What is ESA’s plan?
ESA’s plan consists of two parts. The first one is based on prevent the release of new space debris and the second in destruction of what is already in space.
First, they point to the first measure, which is to use special coatings in all parts that are launched into space. They will be responsible for preventing these parts from becoming damaged over time in inhospitable space conditions. They will also protect them from possible accidents. Thus, the release of small fragments degradation.
A second proposal to avoid releasing new space debris is to use new forms of space debris. movement. Many of those currently in use release small fragments that later become space debris. For example, options can be tested based on electromagnetism. It will take a lot of research, but ESA considers it viable.
Of course, they also propose to improve surveillance of everything that is ejected into space. There must be continuous monitoring systems. It is unacceptable to leave free pieces to their own devices without any control.
As for removing the already accumulating space debris, measures will be even more difficult, but not impossible. New technologies will be required that are capable of removing from orbit in a controlled manner those fragments that, when monitored, turn out to be dangerous. There are already some inventions in this direction, and although they are not widely used, the first prototypes have proven very promising.
Cooperation is necessary to destroy space debris
There are already companies, public and private, that have their own mechanisms to reduce the release of space debris. However, most are still of some sort space flushingwhere they wash their faces in small measures that don’t even equal the damage they cause on the other hand.

This is, for example, the case SpaceX. Elon Musk’s company is exploring the possibilities of using reusable rockets. This is very useful in preventing the accumulation of space debris. However, it continues to launch thousands and thousands of satellites into space that could become space debris, and, moreover, does not stop conducting test flights of its ships, knowing that many of them will fail and throw debris into space. A good example of this is the latest starship explosion, the debris of which jeopardized several passenger flights. Musk has admitted that he wants to make 25 test flights this year, so the amount of such debris could be enormous. They fell into the ocean, although they did not remain in space, but they still posed a danger.
Various companies need to stop taking individual measures and sharing everything they do with others. They also report the status of their lost ships, satellites or probes. Without cooperation, space debris will become an even bigger problem than it already is. We are gradually destroying the Earth. Let’s not do the same to the space that surrounds it.
Source: Hiper Textual
