Space_Debris

Satellite manufacturers in Europe will meet at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) technical centre (ESTEC) in March, to discuss the ways to redesign low-orbit missions that comply with anti-debris regulations.

The companies will come up with new technologies to safeguard the terrestrial and space environments, as part of the ESA’s Clean Space initiative.

The technologies being explored will help reducing derelict satellites being abandoned, reduce the risk of orbital collisions from debris as well as threat posed by re-entering satellites.

"There are more than 12,000 traceable objects of space debris orbiting Earth and the number of untraceable objects is in the millions."

ESA organiser Jessica Delaval said: "This workshop is an essential step for involving the whole European space sector in shaping the way forward for low-orbiting satellites.

"Companies will have the opportunity to put forward their own technologies for debris mitigation."

The ESA said there are more than 12,000 traceable objects of space debris orbiting Earth and the number of untraceable objects is in the millions.

Minimal debris should remain in space to propagate within heavily trafficked orbits particularly the low-orbits ideally intended for earth-observing missions and certain communication satellites.

These orbits extend up to 2,000km above Earth and the satellites in these orbits will be required to be removed within 25 years of their operation.

Therefore mitigation methods have to be built into new low-orbit missions with key implications for their design, the ESA said.

Image: The ESA said that there are over 12,000 traceable objects of space debris orbiting Earth. Photo: courtesy of ESA.