‘Space junk’ threat to satellites
October 25, 2024
The problems caused by the loss of Intelsat’s i33e craft on October 19th, which has now been declared a total loss, has highlighted the problems with other dangerous space junk. A report from Quartz says that there are now about 3,000 dead satellites littered across space, and some 34,000 piece of large space junk and millions of smaller pieces posing threats to orbiting craft.
Space-tracking specialist ExoAnalytic Solutions says it is following 57 pieces of debris from the destroyed satellite. However, Russia’s Roscosmos Space Agency says that it has identified around 80 pieces. Douglas Hendrix, CEO of ExoAnalytic Solutions, said his company was warning operators of any spacecraft that it thinks are at risk of collision..
Other satellite operators in the geostationary arc are well used to conducting special in-orbit manoeuvres to avoid problem satellites – frequently called ‘Zombie craft’, but avoiding 80 high risk segments of an exploded satellite is another level of problem.
“Analysis of the trajectories of the fragments shows that the destruction of the Intelsat satellite was instantaneous and high-energy,” the US Space Force said in a statement. “[I]t can be concluded that there is a potential threat to all operating spacecraft, including the [nearby] Roscosmos group in the geostationary region of outer space.”