Moscow: A 3-decade-old satellite from the former Soviet Union has broken up in orbit about 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) from Earth, possibly after hitting space debris. Astrophysicist and space debris expert Jonathan McDowell first reported the disintegration of the satellite (Cosmos-2143 or Cosmos-2145 spacecraft) on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. The incident highlights a precarious situation in Earth’s orbit, where old objects used for space exploration for more than 60 years are now posing a threat to new and well-functioning satellites.
Another possible orbital impact event: 7 listed debris from a defunct Soviet communications satellite launched in 1991, McDowell said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The debris appears to be from two of the 8 Strela-1M sets launched on the same rocket from either Cosmos-2143 or Cosmos-2145. Old Soviet satellites and spent rocket stages abandoned at altitudes above 500 miles (800 km) are a major concern for space stability, according to researchers.
This kind of collision has already happened in space before.
As Space.com reports, these objects float so high in space that they cannot come down despite the natural decay of their orbits due to the pull of Earth’s residual atmosphere. These items have been involved in several incidents before. In February 2009, a satellite named Cosmos 2251, a cousin of the Cosmos-2143 and Cosmos-2145 spacecraft, collided with an American telecommunications company Iridium satellite 490 miles (789 km) above Earth, creating a large space plume. The cloud is ready. That event, along with the 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test, is responsible for most of the space debris and spent pieces of rocket stages currently orbiting Earth.
In January of this year, a defunct Soviet spy satellite and a spent Soviet rocket stage came within 20 feet (6 m) of each other in a chaotic area about 600 miles (1,000 km) from Earth. A full-scale collision between those two objects would have created thousands of new dangerous pieces of debris. Researchers do not know and may never know what caused the fragmentation of the cosmos, according to McDowell on Wednesday, August 30. Earth-based radar only tracks objects larger than 4 inches (10 cm). According to the European Space Agency (ESA), there are currently 34,550 such objects orbiting the Earth.
But in addition to those “visible” pieces of space debris, ESA estimates there are about 1 million pieces, or 0.4 to 4 inches (1 cm to 10 cm) in size, and 130 million pieces smaller than 0.4 inches floating around. In space.. When radar registers one of the large objects approaching an active satellite, operators get a warning and can move their spacecraft out of harm’s way. But there is no warning before the arrival of small debris. The problem is that even a piece of space debris as small as 0.4 inches can cause serious damage to satellites.
A condition called Kessler syndrome is slowly coming closer to view
In 2016, a piece of space debris just a few millimeters wide tore a 16-inch (40 cm) wide hole in one of the solar panels of Europe’s Earth-observing satellite Sentinel 2. The collision ejected several large fragments, which can be tracked from Earth. Sentinel 2 survived the incident, but ESA engineers said the mission could end if space debris collided with the main body of the vehicle. Researchers have been sounding alarm bells for years due to the growing amount of space debris in Earth’s orbit. Some fear that the situation is slowly approaching a scenario called Kessler syndrome. Named after retired NASA physicist Donald Kessler, this scenario predicts that the increasing number of fragments resulting from orbital collisions will eventually render the area around Earth unusable as each space debris crash triggers a series of subsequent collisions. It will be done.
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Tags: Space exploration, Space knowledge, Space Science
First published: August 31, 2023, 07:52 IST