Orbital debris requires prevention and mitigation across the satellite life cycle
Mia M. Bennett
Abstract
Commercialization of space, falling launch costs, satellite miniaturization, and the creation of megaconstellations are quickly increasing the number of orbiting spacecraft, particularly in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) 1 . As usage of the finite resource of orbital space grows, so does the risk of orbital debris, defined by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee as “all man-made objects including fragments and elements thereof, in Earth orbit or re-entering the atmosphere, that are nonfunctional” 2 . Such objects range from decades-old defunct satellites 3 to trash bags, rocket bodies 4 , 5 , 6 , and thousands of pieces produced by accidental collisions and anti-satellite tests 7 . 45,000 objects over 10 cm 3 in size are actively tracked by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Surveillance Network 8 , while over 130 million objects ranging from 1 mm to 1 cm remain untracked 9 . All of this fast-moving debris threatens spacecraft operations and space sustainability. It also raises fears of the Kessler syndrome, or the potential for cascading collisions to trigger a positive feedback loop that creates a debris field rendering certain orbits unusable 10 and impeding human space activities 11 . This scenario could be reached in 50–100 years without active debris removal and mitigation, and in less than 200 years even with such interventions 12 . Collisions are expected to become the primary process generating debris, particularly 900–1000 km above Earth, which has a high density of satellites 5 .