Space, the final frontier and a trillion-dollar industry according to the latest estimations. More and more companies are sending rockets and satellites into space. But chances are this new commercial space race will end before it can really take off…
Since the dawn of space exploration, humankind has left a lot of stuff in earth’s orbit. Rocket parts, old satellites and other junk amounts to more than thirty thousand large pieces and millions of smaller parts of debris currently flying around our planet. For some pieces, it will take hundreds of years for them to fall back and burn up in our atmosphere. Some may even stay up there forever.
Now watch wat happens when two pieces collide more and more debris is created. This cascading effect is called the Kessler Syndrome. The debris will become a huge swarm that forms a shell around the planet, destroying our satellites and knocking out global communication on the planet. The debris in our orbit would also prevent us from further space exploration and trap us on earth! It’s a big problem that won’t solve itself. So, what can we do?
First, we need to see the orbits around earth as a finite resource, like any other we rely on. Use too much of it and there will be nothing left. To do this we need to regulate space traffic and waste disposal on a global scale. But that will take decades…
Commercial space organizations might offer a faster solution. A huge industry could be lost if they themselves do not act on the problem. The costs of evading debris and constantly adjusting to a growing swarm of junk is extremely high. A clean orbit directly influences their return on investment. Building satellites and rockets that don’t leave debris is the most important step but we also need to clean up our mess.
In 2012 the European Space Agency started the clean space initiative to minimize space activities’ impact on the Earth environment. It also aims to reduce the production of space debris and remove debris from orbit. One of the current ideas is to use a giant space garbage truck with tentacles that can grab larger pieces of debris. Other ideas propose using robotic systems to catch the bigger chunks. Living in perfect harmony with our environment is a goal to strive for, on earth and in orbit. So that maybe one day, we can all look at our old home from space.
