Spaceflight ๐#SpaceDebris ๐๏ธ reentry ๐ฅ expected between approximately 15:35 CET and 22:25 CET on ๐ 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 ๐ช๐บ #SpaceSurveillance and Tracking confirms that object #ISS DEB (EP BATTERY) decayed within the last estimated re-entry window (2024-03-08 19:13 UTC ยฑ30 minutes) https://www.eusst.eu/newsroom/eu-sst-monitors-reentry-object-issdeb/
"If it is a human-made #SpaceObject which was launched into space ๐ by another country, which caused damage ๐ฅ on #Earth, that country would be absolutely liable to the homeowner ๐ก 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. โThe hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earthโs atmosphereโ 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 ๐ 2003, large wreckage from a Chinese ๐จ๐ณ #LongMarch 5B rocket damaging a village in the Republic of Cรดte d'Ivoire ๐จ๐ฎ, a spate of trunk debris from #SpaceX #CrewDragon missions that have landed in the United States ๐บ๐ธ, Australia ๐ฆ๐บ, 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 ๐. Since the debris ๐๏ธ 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 โป๏ธ from #Ariane5 upper stages alone. This saves more than โฌ50 billions ๐ฐ 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 ๐ propose turning the potential catastrophe into a resource. By ๐ 2050, #GatewayEarth โ a fully operational #SpaceStation with a facility to recycle โป๏ธ old #satellites ๐ฐ๏ธ and other junk โ could be up and running. https://theconversation.com/space-junk-a-recycling-station-could-be-cleaning-up-in-earth-orbit-by-2050-119787
Objects in #LEO
๐ 2013 : 3,890
๐ 2023 : 10,225
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/space-objects-by-orbit
#LeoLabs said it was likely the number of #debris pieces exceeds 900, making the event one of the largest ever. The debris ๐๏ธ cloud, created at roughly 800 kilometres in altitude, will last several years. Over 1,100 satellites ๐ฐ๏ธ and other objects in space are at risk of colliding ๐ฅ with the #Chinese ๐จ๐ณ debris https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/chinese-rockets-breakup-puts-over-1000-satellites-other-objects-risk-2024-08-09/
Chinese rocket's breakup puts over 1,000 satellites and other objects at risk
A Chinese rocket stage that broke apart in space this week created more than 700 pieces of debris, putting over 1,000 satellites and other objects in a high-traffic region of Earth's orbit at risk of hazardous collisions, analysts said on Friday.
#Starlink #satellites ๐ฐ๏ธ now maneuver 275 times per day to avoid space objects. "I would have expected that increasing the size of the constellation would have led to a higher number of maneuvers, but I suspect that the increasing #solar โ๏ธ activity is also causing a reduction in the #debris population around the Starlink altitude. These two competing effects seem to be resulting in the apparent stabilization of the number of maneuvers." https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-50000-collision-avoidance-maneuvers-space-safety
Of human-made objects in #space ๐ right now around 90% ๐ are useless. Though no one has been killed ๐ by #SpaceDebris reentry, #NASA estimates one piece of junk returns to #Earth every day. An estimated 170 million pieces of space debris are in Earthโs orbit, around 35,000 of which are large enough to be tracked https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impact/article/moriba-jah-explorer-story
The #ZeroDebris Charter was signed by 15 countries and over 100 companies
https://www.space.com/europe-space-junk-zero-debris-charter-100-partners-iac
The world needs a new convention governing space conduct. Treaties forged in the 1960s and 1970s prohibit ๐ซ countries from touching anotherโs material. An exception for cleaning up trash is in order, along with general rules about orbital cleanliness and garbage disposal ๐๏ธ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/space-trash-debris-spacex
Collision-avoidance maneuvers are not uncommon around the #moon ๐. The #Korea ๐ฐ๐ท Aerospace Research Institute (#KARI) received 40 "red alarms" of potential collisions ๐ฅ. There is currently no international protocol to resolve collision risks. "Sometimes, we did not have the contact information of the responsible personnel, and network security issues occasionally prevented email exchanges" https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/indias-chandrayaan-2-moon-orbiter-avoids-collision-with-south-koreas-danuri-spacecraft
#ESA estimated that there were more than 14,000 tons of material in #LEO. The amount will continue to increase ๐. And more of these objects are falling back down to #Earth, without breaking up ๐ฅ on re-entry as they are expected to. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/world/africa/kenya-space-debris-rocket.html
A 1.5 meter by one meter chunk from an unidentified object was found near the western city of #Poznan ๐ต๐ฑ, the composite material resembled a #Falcon9 fuel tank https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-debris-enters-atmosphere-poland-unidentified-object-found
Unidentified objects found on ground after SpaceX debris enters atmosphere over Poland
The debris left spectacular luminous trails visible in the sky in western Poland, according to witnesses.
@planet4589 : โSo far, weโve been lucky and no one has been #hurt, but the more we put into the Earthโs orbit, the more likely it is that our luck will run out.โ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-20/spacex-rocket-debris-crash-lands-poland
An unidentified object fell into a pond near a property in #Bฤdzimierowice ๐ต๐ฑ, the resident checked her surveillance footage after noticing a 30 cm-wide hole ๐ณ๏ธ in the pond. https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7789/Artykul/3487293,another-falcon-9-debris-falls-in-poland-as-more-reentries-expected
The Polish ๐ต๐ฑ #SpaceAgency (#POLSA) stated that its Space Security Department โconstantly monitors and analyzes threats in outer space originating from artificial objects, including rocketsโ. In a 28 February POLSA update, the agency confirmed that the information regarding the uncontrolled re-entry of the #Falcon9 second stage had been sent to the wrong email โ๏ธ addresses at the Ministry of National Defence. On 11 March, the POLSA President had been officially dismissed. https://europeanspaceflight.com/polish-space-agency-president-sacked-over-falcon-9-debris-controversy/
If #Kosmos482 survives re-entry, the spacecraft will be going around 150 miles an hour, when it smashes into whatever it smashes into. Experts donโt yet know where it may come down. @planet4589 : โImagine putting your car into a wall at 150 miles an hour and seeing how much of it is leftโ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/science/kosmos-482-soviet-spacecraft-reentry.html
