‘100 trillion pieces’ of space debris floating in the air… Space is also being polluted

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and international scientists are calling for an international agreement to reduce space debris.

Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Polymers in the UK, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and California Institute of Technology published an academic journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science on the 9th (local time).EurekAlert!‘, Countries around the world issued a statement urging the conclusion of an international agreement to prepare countermeasures for space debris.

There are currently over 9,000 satellites orbiting the Earth. By 2030, the number of these satellites is expected to rise to more than 60,000. The problem is that as the number of satellites increases, space debris, such as broken satellites and abandoned launch vehicles, is expected to increase accordingly.

Even now, there are about 36,500 pieces of junk larger than 10 cm floating in the orbit of the earth, where we live. It is estimated that there are more than 1 million pieces of garbage with a diameter of 1 cm or more, and about 330 million pieces of small pieces with a diameter of 1 mm to 1 cm are floating around. There are also speculations that the number will exceed 100 trillion if even the smallest bits are added.

Space debris generally travels at a speed of 80,000 km per second. With current technology, it is known to be impossible to defend against space debris flying in zero gravity.

In 1978, Donald Kessler of NASA predicted that space debris becomes more fragmented as it repeatedly collides, and that such fragments could increase and reach a situation where mankind could no longer advance into space. Moreover, with the recent serious construction of the space Internet network, the Earth’s orbit is already saturated with artificial satellites.

In fact, the International Space Station (ISS) conducted evasive maneuvers twice in June and October last year to avoid flying space debris. The ISS faced a total of 29 collision risks between 1999 and 2021, three of which occurred in 2020 alone. As time passes, the risk of collision increases.

Therefore, scientists encourage the preparation of emergency measures. In order to ensure the sustainability of satellites, an international agreement on space debris must be concluded and obligations must be imposed on satellite users and manufacturers to remove them, including the application of technology for re-entry into the atmosphere, from the time of satellites. are produced.

“At the moment satellites play a very important role for people, the economy, security and the health of the planet, but the use of space for people and the planet is already at risk,” said Melissa Quinn, head of Spaceport Cornwall . we will be able to address the future of space use.” “We need to act responsibly in space now, and we have to encourage all leaders to recognize the importance of space and take collective responsibility,” he said.