There are at least this time 10,000 tons of space junk Circling just above our heads. These are mostly, Remnants of old space missions, fragments of disused rockets and satellites That is, after their useful life is over swarm hundreds of kilometers from Earth. There are more and more voices within the scientific community warning about Big problem What do these mean? Runaway space objects For other missions and ultimately, for Earthlings. “We are talking about a problem of the first magnitude. “It's like a car falling out of space every week, and a piece the size of a bus every six months,” he says. Alberto AguedaDirector of GMV's Space Monitoring Division.
Experts have warned of the danger posed by these unregulated substances and are calling for a global road map to mitigate the impact of the phenomenon.
For nearly 70 years, mankind has embarked on journeys, in parallel, in its quest to understand the universe. Accumulation of space debris Between 300 and 1,000 kilometers from the Earth's surface. At this time More than 6,500 rockets and more than 16,000 satellites have been launched.. A good portion of these, after performing their function, run out of fuel and become space junk.
In some cases, Instruments float in space without change In others, they crash into each other and shatter into hundreds of pieces. From there, two equally disturbing scenes unfold. These objects can or cascading damage in spaceChecking out hundreds of trips around the planet or vice versa, They can fall uncontrollably against the earth.
“We're talking about a problem of the first order.”
GMV
“It's not a problem we can continue to ignore,” he explains. Guillermo Monzón, from INDRA during the 'Small Satellites and Services International Forum' (SSSIF2024) these days in Malaga. According to this expert, The fight against space debris has already become “an important component”. For those in charge of missions and global authorities.
It is estimated that there are at least 10,000 tons of space debris that cause damage in space or fall uncontrolled to Earth.
“He has arrived Time to take action on all levels“, Monzón insists. In a similar way, Federico PerazzoFrom the UARX space, he also highlights the importance of this Developing a global roadmap for mitigation and reversal, Impact of this event. “It's the equivalent of asking people to wear seat belts in cars. It may have seemed crazy at first, but now it's crazy to think we've driven a vehicle without safety features.“, represents this expert.
Global norms
There are already many space agencies and companies in this field Proposals Stop spreading space debris. For example, there is a common recommendation to 'destroy' satellites against the Earth Five years after his death. The pressure of work has been increasing since the beginning A specific plan for safely disposing of your tools when they reach the end of their life.
“The problem is, for now, these are all nothing more than suggestions. There is no specific regulation or mandatory action.. We need some Very clear and universal guidelines to solve this problem,” Aguda says This area calls for further progress.
Experts are calling for clearer regulations, improved surveillance networks and strengthened warning systems
Explained by SCompany CenturyFrom DEIMOS, work on the upgrade is already underway A global monitoring network for decommissioned satellites. “We need more and better information to know the status of these objects And, ultimately, when they might collide with Earth,” he says.
At the same time, there is progress In creating warning systems To identify potentially dangerous collisions. “New tools are being developed, many of them artificial intelligence, To improve tracking of space debris and warn of potential problems“, Sergio Velasco Munoz, from INDRA. The war against cosmic debris has just begun.
