An old rocket body and a military satellite (a piece of large space junk dating back to the Soviet Union) nearly collided on Earth. Friday morning, amid nasty near misses that would have created thousands of pieces of debris if they had collided.
LeoLabs, a private company that tracks satellites and derelict objects in low-Earth orbit, spotted Collision of radar data is imminent. The company, which can track objects as small as 3.9 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter, operates three radar stations, two in the United States and one in New Zealand.
The two objects passed each other on Friday morning, January 27, at an altitude of 611 miles (984 kilometers). [20 feet] With an error of just a few tens of meters,” the company said. Tweet.
Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell graphic Posted on Twitter. The SL-8 rocket body (NORAD ID 16511), especially its second stage, has been in space since 1986 and the Cosmos 2361 military satellite (NORAD ID 25590), known as Parus, was launched into low earth orbit in 1998. rice field. Thousands of new debris fragments would have been generated between the two bodies and would have remained in Earth’s orbit for decades.
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The conjunction happened in orbit.”bad neighborhoodAccording to LeoLabs, they are located between 590 and 652 miles (950 to 1,050 km) above the surface. This band hasPotential for significant debris generationIn a series of tweets, the company explained that it is “in low earth orbit due to a mix of splinter events and derelict objects.” host About 160 SL-8 rocket bodies and about 160 payloads launched decades ago.Leo Lab To tell Between June and September 2022, about 1,400 couplings involving these rocket bodies were recorded.
Leo Lab I will explain As a “worst-case scenario,” a potential collision of this kind between “two massive derelict objects” is “most likely beyond our control and likely to have the ramifications of a dangerous collision encounter.” In fact, a collision of this magnitude would most likely accelerate the ongoing Kessler Syndrome, a constant accumulation of space debris that threatens to render parts of Earth’s orbit inaccessible.
Related story: What You Need to Know About Kessler Syndrome, the Ultimate Space Disaster
Near misses in space are becoming more and more common. Coupling between non-functioning satellites Also Debris Cloud Threatens International Space StationTaking SpaceX as an example, evasive maneuvers are now a constant for satellite operators. Performed over 26,000 collision avoidance maneuvers for Starlink satellites From December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2022.
In addition to focusing on collision avoidance, LeoLabs Recommendation Implementation of debris mitigation and debris remediation efforts. This could take the form of sensible guidelines pertaining to the removal of retired satellites. Introduction of Debris removal technology.
more: FCC wants 5-year deadline to remove non-functioning satellites from orbit
