A 30-year-old Soviet satellite disintegrated in orbit about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth. This is probably the result of a space debris collision.
The satellite collapse of either the Cosmos-2143 or Cosmos-2145 spacecraft was reported on X (formerly Twitter) by astrophysicists and astrophysicists. space debris Expert Jonathan McDowell. The event highlights the precarious situation in Earth’s orbit, where old objects accumulated over more than 60 years of space exploration and use pose a threat to new, still-functioning satellites. .
“Another possible orbital collision event: Seven pieces of debris from a defunct Soviet communications satellite launched in 1991 are cataloged,” McDowell said. said in the post X, formerly known as Twitter. “The debris appears to be from either Kosmos 2143 or Kosmos 2145, two of the eight Strela-1M satellites launched on the same rocket.”
Old Soviet satellite and used rocket stage Being left at altitudes greater than 500 miles (800 km) is a major concern for space sustainability researchers. It floats too high to be brought down by the natural decay of its orbit caused by celestial drag. earthIn the residual atmosphere of , these objects have already been involved in several incidents.
Related: How many satellites can we safely have in orbit around the Earth?
In February 2009, a satellite cousin to the Cosmos 2143 and Cosmos 2145 spacecraft cosmos 2251, collided with an operational satellite of the American telecommunications company Iridium 490 miles (789 kilometers) above Earth, creating a huge cloud of space debris. Along with that event, 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile testMost of the space junk debris currently orbiting Earth is caused by this material.
A dead Soviet spy satellite and a used Soviet rocket stage in January this year Are within 20 feet (6 meters) of each other In a cluttered area about 600 miles (1,000 km) above Earth. If these two objects had collided head-on, thousands of new pieces of dangerous debris would have been generated.
Researchers do not know, and likely never will know, the cause of the cosmos fragmentation reported by McDowell on Wednesday, August 30th. Radars on Earth only track objects larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters). Approximately 34,550 such objects are currently known to exist in Earth’s orbit. According to the European Space Agency (ESA).
However, ESA estimates that in addition to these “visible” pieces of space debris, there are approximately 1 million pieces of debris between 0.4 and 4 inches (1 cm and 10 cm) in size, as well as pieces smaller than 0.4 inches. It is said that 130 million are flying around the outer space. When radar detects a large object approaching an operational satellite, operators receive a warning and can move the spacecraft out of harm’s way. But no warning before the little junk arrives.
The problem is that even a piece of space debris as small as 0.4 inches can cause significant damage. In 2016, a piece of space debris just a few millimeters wide punched out an area 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide. Drill a hole in one of the solar panels The collision produced some debris large enough to be tracked from Earth. Sentinel 2 survived the accident, but ESA engineers said the mission could have ended had the space debris hit the spacecraft.
Researchers have been sounding alarm bells for years because of the growing amount of space junk in Earth’s orbit. Some fear that the situation is slowly moving closer to the scenario known as “. Kessler syndrome. Named after retired NASA physicist Donald Kessler, this scenario suggests that each space debris collision sets off a chain of subsequent collisions, increasing the number of debris produced by orbital collisions. They predict that eventually areas around the Earth will become unusable.