Earth’s orbit is crowded with junk. And that’s a major problem.
Starting with Sputnik I in 1957, humanity has sent up nearly 17,000 satellites. Around 11,500 of them are still there. Experts project anywhere between 60,000 to 100,000 satellites will be in orbit as soon as 2030. The more objects in orbit, the more debris — and the higher the likelihood of a crash.
To preserve future space exploration and the benefits it provides us on Earth, we need to find a way to remove debris and dead satellites from space — and design sustainable satellites for future orbit.
The orbital sphere around Earth is stuffed with satellites, telescopes and floating bits of paint and plastic. Nearly 170 million pieces of debris are currently in space. In outer space, where objects can travel at velocities over 17,500 miles per hour, a collision with a piece of debris as small as a paperclip can disable a spacecraft.
Satellites are much bigger. Flight controllers often use the last of a satellite’s fuel to send it earthward, where it burns up as it reenters the atmosphere. Larger satellites can be set on a reentry trajectory, ensuring that if any part makes it all the way back, it will land in the ocean far from human habitation.
In the case of satellites in higher orbits, it often makes sense to blast them into a “graveyard orbit” — 22,400 miles above Earth.
These plans for cremation, burial at sea or high orbit can help prevent the biggest problem: intersatellite collisions. But if even a handful of satellites stop functioning — due to a space-junk collision or a system glitch — we don’t have a plan to prevent the nightmare scenario: a collision creating an orbiting cloud of debris.
When satellites collide, the collateral damage can include satellite-dependent technology here on Earth. Without satellites, we can’t text, watch television, navigate with GPS or predict weather accurately. Experts predict that an increasing number of collisions will become a major contributor for even more debris.
Engineers have developed technology to remove debris using space lasers, rocket nudging and space tugs — rockets that act like tow-trucks in space.
These methods are pricey. Physically sweeping up debris can cost more than $400,000 per pound.
A more sustainable approach is to create less space-waste in the first place. We need to start creating satellites for the long-haul — satellites that can be repaired, retooled or refueled instead of thrown away.
Leading-edge technology can help lower costs. “Virtual twin” technology turns a physical object into a three-dimensional simulation with the same properties. With an interactive digital three-dimensional model, scientists can sequence and simulate a nudging maneuver and predict how objects will act in space, vastly increasing efficiency.
Simulations that engineers conduct via virtual twin technology can also help build new satellites at a fraction of the current cost — and provide digital “prototypes” for future renovations and upgrades. Virtual simulations will also be essential to creating the maintenance infrastructure that will keep these satellites spinning the earth for decades.
Space exploration has gone from a dream to reality. Now we face a new challenge — creating a safe, clean and sustainable space environment for our planet. Our next mission requires us to design sustainable satellites, extend their life, remove debris, and deploy on-orbit upgrades.
David Ziegler is vice president, aerospace and defense industry at Dassault Systèmes, based in France.
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