On Nov. 25, 2024, the International Space Station (ISS) was forced to perform an emergency maneuver to avoid a piece of "space junk" in its path. This was the second time in a week the ISS had to fire its thrusters to avoid space debris.
In 2010, there were around 200 satellites that spacefaring nations launched. In 2024, there were 2,600 satellites launched into space. This rapid increase in satellite launches has created a ring of space junk, from dead satellites to used-up rocket parts around the Earth.
Much of the debris left over from a satellite launch falls back to Earth and burns up in the atmosphere. But a significant portion of that debris is launched into orbit at around 17,500 miles per hour and circles the earth for a considerable length of time.
Some of the debris is as small as flecks of paint. Those paint flecks traveling at orbital velocity can penetrate the skin of the ISS or damage a satellite. Larger objects can be deadly if they hit the wrong place on the space station.
"Currently, there are more than 25,000 pieces of trackable human-made junk larger than 10 centimeters orbiting Earth," reports Scientific American. Ten centimeters is around four inches.
Near-Earth orbit is filling up. That is where the vast majority of "work" in space is being done. But the unfettered, uncoordinated use of space in near-Earth orbit is rapidly making space as a resource untenable for all.
Space X is launching thousands of satellites to bring broadband to the world. Amazon is doing the same, preparing to deploy 3,200 satellites into orbit. While space is immense, there's a surprisingly narrow corridor in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that is optimal for some kinds of communications (global communications are dependent on satellites orbiting 22,500 miles above the Earth), GPS, internet, and monitoring the health of the planet. It's filling up that narrow band that lies between 90 and 150 miles above the Earth with dead satellites, spent rocket parts, and other debris that will soon make it impossible for other satellites to navigate.
There's a growing realization among spacefaring nations that a much greater effort at coordinating and cooperating will be necessary to preserve outer space as a resource for all.
The goal will be to develop a "circular space economy" where satellites are designed for longer life and can be serviced in orbit to extend their working lives. Other satellites can be reused and repurposed. There are also proposals to "catch" falling satellites as Space X does with its Starship booster.
We won’t be able to enact a circular space economy without some technological innovations. We don’t currently have techniques to service all spacecraft in orbit, although several companies and space agencies are working on it. We must create technology to extend satellites’ operational lifespans and reduce the need for costly and resource-intensive replacement missions. We need spacecraft that can approach aging satellites and dock with them, using robots to repair, refuel and upgrade them.
We’ll also need a way to reuse and recycle satellites when their working lives are over. Currently all satellites become trash when their primary mission ends, and new satellites are built from entirely new materials. It’s a huge waste, much like our junkyards for used cars and other vehicles. Researchers are working on ways to harvest materials from dead spacecraft to integrate into new vehicles and to use techniques to build new satellites out of used parts.
It won't be easy to address the problem. But some things can be done that won't cost too much and would at least slow the drift toward catastrophe.
How about creating a market for space junk? Russia, China, and the U.S. could establish markets for space garbage pickup and removal services. As launch costs fall, satellite maintenance and removal businesses will thrive.
The point is that governments don't have to do all the heavy lifting to address this problem. All they have to do is get out of the way and not cloud the issue with stuff governments like to do, like permitting nonsense and licensing tricks.
It's either act or watch as we lose our most valuable future resource due to our own shortsightedness.
