Spaceflight 🚀#SpaceDebris 🗑️ reentry 🔥 expected between approximately 15:35 CET and 22:25 CET on 📆 8 March https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/Reentry_of_International_Space_Station_ISS_batteries_into_Earth_s_atmosphere
#SpaceDebris reentry : The #EU 🇪🇺 #SpaceSurveillance and Tracking confirms that object #ISS DEB (EP BATTERY) decayed within the last estimated re-entry window (2024-03-08 19:13 UTC ±30 minutes) https://www.eusst.eu/newsroom/eu-sst-monitors-reentry-object-issdeb/
"If it is a human-made #SpaceObject which was launched into space 🌌 by another country, which caused damage 💥 on #Earth, that country would be absolutely liable to the homeowner 🏡 for the damage caused." https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/trash-from-the-international-space-station-may-have-hit-a-house-in-florida/
A month later, #NASA released a public statement taking responsibility. “The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-16/nasa-says-space-junk-that-crashed-into-florida-home-was-from-iss
#NASA incorrectly believed the batteries would completely burn up. There have been some close calls : a piece of the doomed #SpaceShuttle #Columbia crashing into a Texas dentist's office in 📆 2003, large wreckage from a Chinese 🇨🇳 #LongMarch 5B rocket damaging a village in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire 🇨🇮, a spate of trunk debris from #SpaceX #CrewDragon missions that have landed in the United States 🇺🇸, Australia 🇦🇺, and elsewhere. https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/06/family-whose-roof-was-damaged-by-space-debris-files-claims-against-nasa/
Ariane 5 upper stages are located mainly in #GTO & just a small delta-v (1,6km/s) is left to reach the #Moon 🌙. Since the debris 🗑️ is picked up in orbit, small propulsion units are sufficient for the remaining transport to the moon. More than 150 tons of #aluminum can be regained ♻️ from #Ariane5 upper stages alone. This saves more than €50 billions 💰 of tax money in transportation costs compared to #SLS or #Ariane6 launchers. https://activities.esa.int/4000132842
A collection of academics from #universities around the world 🌏 propose turning the potential catastrophe into a resource. By 📆 2050, #GatewayEarth – a fully operational #SpaceStation with a facility to recycle ♻️ old #satellites 🛰️ and other junk – could be up and running. https://theconversation.com/space-junk-a-recycling-station-could-be-cleaning-up-in-earth-orbit-by-2050-119787
Khleedril@spaceflight Do we think it would clean up faster than new mess is created?