The Rising Dangers of Space Junk: A Growing Mess Up There | SLICE SCIENCE | FULL DOCUMENTARY

Summary

The script discusses the growing issue of orbital debris, tracing its origins to the space race and detailing the threats it poses to current and future space activities. It outlines the challenges in tracking and removing this debris, including the Kessler Syndrome, and highlights various initiatives and technologies being developed to mitigate the risks and clean up space. The summary also touches on the impact of mega constellations and the need for international regulations to ensure the sustainable use of space.

Takeaways

• 🛰️ Since the late 1950s, thousands of satellites have been launched into space for various purposes, including weather forecasting, communication, and military surveillance.
• 📡 Satellites orbit the Earth at incredible speeds and are equipped with advanced technology like computers, cameras, and sensors to perform their missions.
• ⚠️ Orbital debris, including non-functioning satellites and rocket parts, poses a significant threat to operational satellites and can cause a chain reaction of collisions.
• 🌌 The problem of space debris began with the launch of Sputnik 1, and since then, it has escalated with the addition of more satellites and space activities.
• 🔬 Scientists and engineers are working on detecting and mitigating the risks associated with orbital debris, including the development of space surveillance systems.
• 🛠️ Various methods are being explored to remove space debris, such as harpoons, nets, and robotic arms, but these solutions are still in developmental stages.
• 🌐 The growth of mega constellations, like SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb, is increasing the number of satellites in orbit and exacerbating the space debris issue.
• 💡 There is an urgent need for international regulations and cooperation to manage space debris and ensure the long-term sustainability of space activities.
• 🚀 The 'polluter pays' principle suggests that each country should be responsible for the removal of its own debris from orbit.
• 🛡️ Shielding materials are being tested to protect satellites from small debris, but there is still no effective protection against larger, high-velocity impacts.
• 🔮 The future of space exploration is promising, but the increasing amount of space debris could jeopardize satellite services that are integral to modern life on Earth.

Q & A

How many satellites have been launched into space since the end of the 1950s?

Since the end of the 1950s, mankind has launched thousands of satellites into space.

What are the typical speeds at which satellites orbit the Earth?

Satellites typically orbit the Earth at incredible speeds, circling above our heads for several years.

What are the functions of satellites as mentioned in the script?

Satellites perform precise missions such as photographing the Earth for weather forecasts, relaying telephone, television, and radio signals between locations on Earth, and for military purposes like spying on other countries.

What is the term used to describe non-functioning artificial objects in orbit?

Non-functioning artificial objects in orbit are referred to as 'orbital debris' or 'space debris'.

What is the Kessler Syndrome and how does it relate to space debris?

The Kessler Syndrome is a theoretical scenario where the density of objects in low Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade of collisions, each generating space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.

What are the three different orbits used by satellites around the Earth?

The three different orbits used by satellites are geostationary orbit, medium Earth orbit, and low Earth orbit.

What is the concept of a 'space tug' and how does it relate to space debris management?

A 'space tug' is a concept for a multifunctional spacecraft that could perform various tasks including refueling, repairing, inspecting, and maintaining other satellites, as well as collecting space debris and deorbiting it.

What is the current estimate of objects larger than half an inch orbiting the Earth?

The current estimate is that there are nearly a million objects larger than half an inch orbiting the Earth.

What is the 'graveyard orbit' and why is it used for decommissioned satellites?

The 'graveyard orbit' is a higher orbit further from Earth where decommissioned satellites are moved using their last fuel reserves to ensure they do not interfere with operational satellites or other space activities.

What are some of the proposed solutions for managing space debris?

Some proposed solutions for managing space debris include using robotic systems to capture and deorbit debris, employing space tugs for multifunctional space services including debris removal, and developing international regulations for satellite operations and deorbiting.

What is the concern regarding the increasing number of satellites launched by private companies like SpaceX and OneWeb?

The concern is that the increasing number of satellites launched by private companies could exacerbate the space debris problem. While operators claim to have taken precautions, there are no international regulations in place, and failures could lead to more space junk.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Origin and Threat of Orbital Debris

This paragraph introduces the history of satellite launches since the 1950s and the resulting accumulation of orbital debris. It explains the various functions of satellites and how they become debris when they stop functioning or run out of power. The paragraph highlights the dangers of this debris, which travels at high speeds and can collide with other objects, creating an even greater amount of debris and posing a threat to operational satellites. The Cold War is mentioned as the backdrop to the space race, which led to an increase in satellite launches and consequently, more debris.

05:05

🌐 The Dangers of Orbital Debris and its Historical Context

The second paragraph delves into specific incidents involving orbital debris, such as the loss of control over Russian satellite Cosmos 954, which scattered radioactive material over Canada. It discusses the creation of debris from rocket launches and the accumulation of this debris over the years. The paragraph also explains the natural process by which low-altitude debris re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and typically burns up, but notes the risks posed when debris does not fully disintegrate and causes damage on Earth.

10:12

🛰️ The Organization of Orbits and Challenges of Debris Management

This paragraph outlines the different orbits used by satellites and the procedures for de-orbiting satellites at the end of their life cycle to avoid adding to the debris field. It describes the organized yet problematic state of Earth's orbital 'suburbs' and the challenges in managing the debris, including the unpredictability of satellite malfunctions and the impact of solar flares on satellite systems. The paragraph emphasizes the complexity of removing satellites from medium Earth orbit and the reliance on Earth's atmosphere to dispose of debris from low Earth orbit.

15:14

🌌 The Perils of Space Debris and the Kessler Syndrome

The fourth paragraph discusses the long-term presence and high velocities of orbital debris, which increase the likelihood of collisions. It introduces the concept of the Kessler Syndrome, a cascade of collisions that generates an exponentially growing cloud of debris. The paragraph highlights major events that have worsened the debris situation, such as the collision between Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33, and deliberate satellite destruction by China and Russia, emphasizing the lack of international concern for the consequences of these actions.

20:15

🔭 The Impact of Satellite Debris on Everyday Life and Space Activities

This paragraph underscores the integral role of satellites in daily life, from GPS navigation to financial transactions, and the dependency on satellite services. It warns of the risk posed by the proliferation of debris to these services and the challenges space agencies face in launching new satellites amidst the debris field. The paragraph also mentions the quantified risk of satellite loss due to debris and the measures taken to mitigate these risks, such as space surveillance networks.

25:16

🛡️ Strategies for Detecting and Avoiding Orbital Debris

The sixth paragraph describes the efforts to monitor and predict the trajectories of orbital debris to prevent collisions with operational satellites. It details the space surveillance systems used by the United States and Europe, the cooperation between countries to share debris information, and the maneuvers performed by satellites like the International Space Station to avoid collisions. The paragraph also touches on the development of shielding materials to protect satellites from small debris impacts.

30:16

🛠️ Innovations in Space Debris Protection and the Role of 'Space Garbage Guys'

This paragraph explores the development of new technologies and professions focused on protecting satellites and astronauts from the dangers of space debris. It discusses the testing of shielding materials, the design of satellites resistant to small debris, and the challenges of protecting astronauts during spacewalks. The paragraph also introduces the concept of 'space garbage guys' and the engineering efforts to create robotic systems for debris removal, such as harpoons and other capturing mechanisms.

35:17

💡 The Development of Space Debris Solutions and the Challenges Ahead

The eighth paragraph highlights ongoing projects aimed at capturing and removing space debris, such as the RemoveDebris mission's harpoon and the Medusa project's tentacle-based capture method. It discusses the advantages and limitations of these technologies, the financial challenges of scaling debris removal operations, and the need for international cooperation and regulation to address the growing problem of space debris.

40:21

🚧 The Future of Space Debris Management and the Role of Mega-Constellations

The final paragraph addresses the future challenges posed by the increasing number of satellites launched into orbit, particularly the mega-constellations like SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb. It raises concerns about the potential for more space debris as a result of these projects and the current lack of international regulations to manage satellite deorbiting and debris mitigation. The paragraph calls for global policies and the application of the polluter pays principle to ensure the long-term sustainability of space activities.

Keywords

💡Orbital Debris

Orbital debris refers to the fragments and defunct satellites in Earth's orbit. It is a central theme of the video, highlighting the accumulation of space junk that poses a threat to operational satellites and space missions. The script mentions that 'nearly a million objects larger than half an inch have been counted,' emphasizing the scale of the problem.

💡Space Race

The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War to achieve superior spaceflight capabilities. It is mentioned in the script as the beginning of the orbital debris problem, starting with the launch of Sputnik 1, which 'stopped working after 21 days' and became a non-functioning artificial object in orbit.

💡Geostationary Orbit

Geostationary orbit is a high Earth orbit where satellites remain constantly above the same point on the equator, providing telecommunications services. The video explains that satellites in this orbit are spaced about '40 miles apart,' and when they reach the end of their service life, they are moved to a 'graveyard orbit' to avoid creating more debris.

💡Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Low Earth Orbit is an orbit below 1,200 miles in altitude where many satellites and the most debris from the Space Race are found. The script describes it as the area 'where the last 60 years of space exploration has left the most debris,' and the only way to remove debris from this area is to let it disintegrate in Earth's atmosphere.

💡Kessler Syndrome

Kessler Syndrome is a theoretical scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade of collisions, each generating space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions. The video script states that 'like a pandemic this junk proliferates, and risks creating even more debris,' illustrating the potential for a cascading effect.

💡Space Surveillance Network

A Space Surveillance Network is a system used to track and catalog objects in Earth's orbit to predict and avoid potential collisions. The script explains that the United States has been using such a network since 1957, and Europe established a similar system called 'Gravitz' in 1996 to detect objects 'that orbit around 250 to 600 miles in altitude.'

💡Spacewalk

A spacewalk is an activity where astronauts work outside a spacecraft during a mission. The script mentions the risks astronauts face during spacewalks due to the threat of orbital debris, stating that 'even a minor impact would puncture an astronaut's suit and lead to instant death.'

💡Mega Constellations

Mega constellations refer to large networks of satellites in orbit, such as SpaceX's Starlink or OneWeb, intended to provide global internet coverage. The video raises concerns about the potential increase in space debris due to these projects, noting that 'the number of Mega constellation satellites in orbit exceeds the number of satellites launched since the beginning of the Space Race.'

💡Space Tug

A space tug is a type of spacecraft designed to perform various functions, including refueling, repairing, inspecting, and removing space debris. The script describes the concept as a 'space-based Swiss Army knife' that could 'refill a satellite on Tuesday,... gather up a piece of space junk and send it into the atmosphere' on Friday.

💡Space Pugs

Space Pugs, as mentioned in the script, refer to a promising concept for cleaning up space debris. While the term 'Space Pugs' is not a standard term in the space industry, it seems to symbolize the idea of multipurpose, efficient, and potentially autonomous spacecraft designed to clean up orbital debris.

💡Polluter Pays Principle

The Polluter Pays Principle is an environmental policy principle stating that the party responsible for pollution should bear the cost of the necessary measures to reduce it. In the context of the video, it refers to the idea that each country should finance the elimination of its own space debris, as part of the efforts to address the growing problem of orbital debris.

Highlights

Since the late 1950s, thousands of satellites have been launched into space, performing various missions such as weather forecasting and communication signal relay.

Satellites orbiting Earth at high speeds can become space debris when they stop functioning, posing a threat to operational satellites.

Orbital debris travels at over 17,000 miles per hour, and collisions can generate thousands of smaller, hazardous pieces.

Nearly a million objects larger than half an inch have been counted in Earth's orbit, indicating the scale of the space debris problem.

The space race initiated by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 marked the beginning of orbital debris issues.

The U.S. and Soviet Union's competition in space exploration led to increased satellite launches and consequently more space debris.

Nuclear-powered satellites, like the Russian Cosmos 954, have added radioactive material to the space debris problem.

Debris from rocket launches, including upper stages and fuel tanks, accumulates in orbit and contributes to the debris field.

Debris from non-functioning satellites and rocket parts can survive re-entry and sometimes crash on Earth.

There are approximately 36,000 trackable objects orbiting Earth, with an additional 30,000 that have fallen back.

Space debris poses a significant threat to the functionality of satellites, affecting telecommunications and other services.

Geostationary, medium Earth, and low Earth orbits are used by satellites, each with specific purposes and debris management challenges.

Satellites can be moved to avoid collisions with tracked debris, but imprecise data may require evacuation procedures for astronauts.

Shielding materials are being tested to protect satellites from hyper-velocity impacts using facilities like the space gun.

Robotic systems are being developed to capture and deorbit space debris, such as the Harpoon and Medusa projects.

The concept of space tugs is proposed for multifunctional use, including satellite refueling, repair, and debris removal.

Mega-constellations like SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb are increasing the number of satellites in orbit, raising concerns about debris proliferation.

International regulations for space debris management are lacking, and the future sustainability of space orbits is a growing concern.

Transcripts

foreign

since the end of the 1950s mankind has

launched thousands of satellites into

space

Rockets play satellites in orbit where

they follow an elliptical path around

the Earth

oh

they Circle above our heads at

incredible speeds for several years and

undertake precise missions

for example

photographing the Earth to establish

weather forecasts

relaying telephone television and radio

signals between two locations on Earth

or in the case of military satellites

spying on other countries

controlled from the ground they are

equipped with computers cameras and

sensors

fuel batteries and solar panels provide

the energy required to accomplish their

missions

[Music]

some break down while others stop

working when they ran out of power

they become orbital debris circling the

earth at over 17

000 miles per hour

sometimes they hit other objects

generating thousands of smaller pieces

today nearly a million objects larger

than half an inch have been counted

[Music]

being struck by orbital debris is a

constant threat for all our satellites

and risks sending our society into the

past if nothing is done about it

the problem began 60 years ago

at the end of the 1950s mankind realized

that Earth's future was contingent on

space

in the middle of the Cold War the Soviet

Union triggered the space race when it

launched Sputnik the world's first

satellite

Cooper

at the national Center for space studies

in France rocket scientist Christoph

Bernal evokes the origins of the problem

the problem the orbital debris problem

started at the same time as the first

launch on October the 4th 1957 with the

launch of Sputnik 1.

after 21 days Sputnik stopped working

[Music]

it was a non-functioning artificial

object

this is what we call orbital zebri

[Music]

sputnik's brief existence came to an end

when it disintegrated in the Earth's

atmosphere three months after its launch

but the small satellite had Global

consequences

determined to catch up with the Soviets

the Americans created NASA

the Soviets Advance was extremely

important to astronautics the Soviets

had all the firsts first satellite

launch first person in space

and they raised the bar for the

Americans who had to increase their

missions in order to catch up

the Americans launched a series of 17

consecutive manned missions named Apollo

at the time nobody was concerned about

leaving wastes or even radioactive

elements in space

from 1967 to 1988 the Soviet Union

launched spy satellites fueled by

nuclear reactors

but some of these satellites were

defective

[Applause]

[Music]

in September 1977 American Radars

noticed that Russian satellite Cosmos

954 was making erratic maneuvers

it was the first nuclear Alert in the

space age

on January the 12th 1978 the Americans

contacted Soviet authorities regarding

the satellite

[Music]

days later the Russians confirmed

that they had lost control of their

device

when the satellite re-entered the

atmosphere it scattered radioactive

material all over Northern Canada

foreign the newspapers were quick to

report the demise of the Russian

satellite in North America

in the midst of the Cold War

soon became clear that orbital debris

could be a potential danger to the

population on Earth

[Music]

foreign

but it wasn't the only Danger

even launching satellites into orbit

creates debris

each rocket launch has left debris in

orbit leave your satellite old

satellites have stayed up there and

that's what has led to the situation we

find ourselves in today

during the years of the Space Race

satellites were not the only items put

into orbit

European Space Agency engineer radica

Yin has analyzed the orbital debris

created by rocket launches

when we launch a satellite the first

stage of the rocket provides enough

energy to go 10 kilometers in altitude

and then it falls back into the ocean

the last stage takes the satellite into

orbit but then it also stays in orbit

itself and becomes debris

[Music]

the upper stages of a rocket along with

fuel tanks and no scones are

systematically left in

[Music]

over the last 60 years much of this

debris has accumulated while some has

disintegrated

working alongside the European space

agencies space scientists Noelia Sanchez

Ortiz analyzes the circumstances and the

destiny of orbital debris

come mainly from satellites that we have

put in space once they stop working

historically we'll leave them there and

they remain orbiting around the earth

unless the satellite is placed in a very

low orbit and then it ends up falling in

our atmosphere

at low altitude debris moves at speeds

of 18 000 miles an hour but the Earth's

atmosphere gradually slows it down and

when pieces eventually fall to Earth

they are mostly destroyed

the air molecules are compressed by the

speed of the debris which creates heat

and eventually combustion causing the

pieces to break up

during the day there is little to see

but at night this Burning waste

sometimes looks like shooting stars

problems arise when this debris does not

burn up completely in the atmosphere

in 1997 the 550 pound fuel tank of a

Delta II rocket crashed near Georgetown

in Texas

in 2001 the third stage of a Delta II

rocket landed 150 miles from Saudi

Arabia's Capital Riyadh

in 2011 the nurse coat of a Sawyer's

rocket was found in Martinique and in

2013 several titanium tanks appeared in

the garden of an electrician in Texas

so far nobody has been killed but is

merely a question of time

in September 2016 the second stage of a

Falcon 9 rocket crashed into an

outbuilding on a small island near Java

[Music]

thank you

it seems that sometimes

the sky really does fall down

since orbital debris poses a threat to

the earth population it is now cataloged

and the risk evaluated

we estimate that there are about 36 000

objects orbiting the Earth we can add

the 30 000 or so objects that have

already fallen back to Earth

and they will stay there for some time

since all rocket launchers including

military operations are monitored it is

relatively easy to know what is circling

above our heads

all the artificial objects in space

satellites and debris orbiting above our

heads represents a mass of around 9000

tons to give you an idea the Eiffel

Tower is 7500 tons so a bit more than

that

vast area that is spaced an Eiffel

Tower's worth of small scattered pieces

is more like a cloud of dust

so in order to show a representation of

the debris we need to enlarge them

in real life the pieces are considerably

smaller

the suburbs of our planet

contain a mixture of working satellites

surrounded by circulating waste

[Music]

but the suburbs are nonetheless

organized

satellites around our Earth use three

different orbits

furthest from the earth is geostationary

orbit a thin layer 22 000 miles away

[Music]

[Music]

satellites in this orbit remain

constantly above the same point on the

equator and provide our

telecommunications telephone and

Computer Link ups and television

broadcasts

[Applause]

[Music]

each satellite is spaced on average of

40 miles apart

foreign

[Music]

satellites need to be removed when they

have served their time

their last fuel reserves are used to

de-orbit them to another area

[Music]

here the satellite is moved higher to a

graveyard orbit further from Earth where

it will not interfere with anything

medium earth orbit situated between 1200

and 22 000 miles in altitude is avoided

this vast zone is occupied by radio

navigation satellites like Galileo

if one of these satellites breaks down

it is placed into an intermediate orbit

where it will not interfere with any

others but if it runs out of fuel

nothing can be done

finally the closest orbit to earth is

known as low earth orbit and situated

below 1 200 miles in altitude

this is where the last 60 years of space

exploration has left the most debris

and the only way of getting rid of

debris in this area is to send it into

Earth's atmosphere where it

disintegrates

[Music]

India there are different areas on Earth

where objects can re-enter with almost

no risk because they are far from

populations for example there is an area

in the South Pacific which is very very

big and where we tend to re-enter large

objects

if the satellite still has fuel it is

possible to control its movements in low

medium and geostationary orbits

as long as it is still functioning

that some satellites can hurtle added

control even if they still have fuel

one of the problems we have with

satellites is that from time to time

they break down and we don't know why

they worked on Monday Tuesday Wednesday

and on Thursday bam broken and we've had

no warning there's been no sign that

anything was wrong

foreign

operators are loath to talk about

malfunctions for fear of losing

credibility yet most failures are caused

by Nature interfering with safety

measures

when we analyze the cause of these

malfunctions it can for example be a

result of a solar flare

[Music]

during solar storms our sun releases

huge amounts of energy that disperses

electrically charged particles into

space

Earth's electromagnetic field acts as a

shield protecting us from particles

visible during the Northern Lights

[Music]

but satellites are like sitting ducks

solar radiation is capable of wiping out

navigation systems

and despite being protected with

high-tech gold foil

it is estimated that a dozen or so

satellites are destroyed each year by

solar flares

turning them into orbital debris

[Music]

space is an infinite empty space with

some junk moving around above our heads

and these objects pose two problems

first when they are in orbit they're

there for a long time for example an

object at an altitude of 600 miles will

stay there for a thousand or two

thousand years secondly during the

course of these thousand or two thousand

years they are moving at speeds of 18

000 miles an hour eighteen thousand

miles an hour for a thousand years is a

lot so the probability of crashing into

something during that time is very high

until 2007 experts tracked around 12 000

large pieces of junk but since then

three major events have caused the

situation to degenerate

the most serious involved Cosmos 2251 a

Russian satellite in low earth orbit

that suddenly stopped working the

Russians could no longer communicate

with it and were unable to deorbit it to

Earth

[Music]

foreign

trajectory of the same altitude a brand

new American satellite called iridium 33

was in orbit

[Music]

the impact sent debris flying in all

directions

[Music]

around two and a half thousand pieces

larger than three inches and many other

smaller fragments were ejected into

space

posing a threat to all the devices in

low earth orbit

[Music]

this Collision proves that an out of

control object in low orbit is a danger

to all working satellites

another event worthy of Star Wars took

place when China decided to deliberately

destroy a weather satellite that was no

longer in use

using a ballistic missile armed with an

infrared seeker and a warhead

[Music]

it was an arrogant show of strength by

Chinese authorities with no concern for

the consequences

[Music]

on the 15th of November 2021 the

Russians returned fire

with a noodle missile

[Music]

its Target was a decommissioned

satellite called Cosmos 1408

[Music]

[Music]

the resulting explosion scattered 1500

pieces of large debris into low orbit in

all directions

these events were arrogant shows of

strength by Major Powers with no concern

for the consequences

everybody is talking about the events

caused by the Chinese and Russian

governments destroying a satellite on

purpose

we all now know that these types of

events are the greatest source of a risk

of collision to our satellites in space

as a result there are now more than a

million pieces of debris larger than

half an inch circling the earth

and some of these pieces come not from

satellites

but from Rockets

in the fuel tank of a normal rocket that

takes satellites into orbits you have

one chamber where liquid oxygen and

another with liquid nitrogen and I'm

sure you remember from school that when

these two guesses mix it becomes nitrous

oxide and it explodes and that's what

happens again and again in space

not all the fuel is used to the last

drop this Reserve fuel mixes and instead

of having an intact upper level you have

a thousand pieces of debris which remain

in orbit

like a pandemic this junk proliferates

and risks creating even more debris

this phenomenon is known as Kessler

syndrome

in honor of the NASA consultant who

described analyzed and Quantified it we

currently have enough objects in Earth

orbit once every 10 years we expect two

objects to run together and create a

major breakup

[Music]

Dawn Kessler proposed the scenario back

in 1978

since then it has been proven multiple

times

like the cosmos iridium equation back in

2009 about every five years we expect

collisions between some large object and

a large fragment to also produce some

debris

[Music]

Don Kessler also predicted that the

collisions would have a cascading effect

where each Collision increases the

likelihood of further collisions

the issue becomes when this happens an

object can come in and hit the satellite

and produce a spray of particles that

are very numerous in number for the

smallest particles

that those can go on and because they're

traveling so fast can damage spacecraft

then you also produce about a hundred

big enough fragments that will go on and

hit another satellite in the same way

and break that satellite up and so you

have this slow cascading phenomena going

on

[Music]

this theory was proven accurate in 1996

when debris from Ariane rocket launched

10 years before crossed paths with a

French military satellite called Cerise

[Music]

knocking out a 10-foot stabilization

boom and causing Cerise to Tumble out of

control

this incident is just one example of

such a chain reaction in space

non-functioning satellites and Rocket

leftovers have created clouds of debris

traveling around the world at 18 000

miles an hour hitting working satellites

and creating even more debris

[Music]

this proliferation could endanger a huge

range of activities on Earth

foreign

it's easy to forget that satellites are

a major part of our daily lives

[Music]

we all expect to open our mobile phone

and look for a place where we want to go

and find the directions to get there we

use satellite positioning technology

in the same way when we go on a trip we

withdraw money at an ATM in America and

we obtain that money thanks to satellite

telecommunications that connect with our

bank in Europe

it's hard to imagine life without

smartphones

bank cards

or GPS systems

nowadays we wouldn't live long without

satellites yet the proliferation of

debris risks compromising today's

constantly diversifying satellite

services

so all space agencies have to take

Serious risks each time they launch

the European Space Agency

if we are waiting for a situation where

our uncertainty volume is completely

empty that would mean we could never

launch so believe it or not we are

launching despite

of the possibility of having

conjunctions with objects because

otherwise there would never be in a

green light for launch

the risk is now proven and even

Quantified

the odds of losing a satellite are five

percent

part of it is the risk of being hit by

debris the other parts are simple there

is complicated Hardware that can break

causing the satellite to be lost but the

likelihood of losing a satellite can

quickly reach 10 or 20 percent with the

increase in orbital debris

the European Space Agency estimates that

the risk of collision will rise to 20

percent by 2038.

so one out of every five satellites

would not complete its Mission it's a

huge figure

space agencies have had to look at ways

of negotiating this Minefield and

detecting the circling waste

since 1957 the United States has been

using a space surveillance Network to

predict where and when orbital debris

will enter the Earth's atmosphere

[Music]

they have established a catalog of the

debris that is currently in orbit and

use this to determine which country owns

the debris that is entering the

atmosphere they can also warn NASA if

debris is at risk of interfering with

their satellites

over time as the number of artificial

objects in orbit has multiplied this

system has been refined and computerized

but in Europe a similar space

surveillance system was not put in place

until 40 years later

in 1996 when debris from the Ariane

rocket damaged military satellite Cerise

the French Ministry of Defense created a

system known as Krav

[Music]

itz

system a space events network is our

main sensor that allows us to detect

objects that orbit around 250 to 600

miles in altitude as long as they are

large enough to be detected by radar

in other words if they are the size of a

large washing machine

to detect orbiting satellites up to 600

miles above France even when it's cloudy

the system uses a particular radar that

makes real-time calculations to follow

and anticipate the trajectories of

thousands of satellites

the grav system was able to detect 30 or

so Chinese and American spy satellites

that had not been cataloged previously

today international relations in space

are a mixture and an extension of those

on the ground in other words there is as

much Mutual Aid as there is competition

or sometimes open confrontations

France agreed to keep quiet about the

Spy satellites but in return they asked

the Americans for access to their

orbital debris catalog this catalog is

considerably more detailed than the

European version since the Americans can

detect objects as small as four inches

we deal with the problem of small

objects by franco-american cooperation

that allows us to retrieve information

even at the confidential level

this constant space surveillance is

efficient and allows civilian and

Military satellites to avoid collisions

with orbital debris if there is a risk

ground-based operators can move their

satellites slightly out of their orbit

these Maneuvers happen more and more

often particularly for the largest

satellite of all time the International

Space Station this inhabited satellite

is threatened by debris several times a

year

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around

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[Applause]

the station that's very interesting

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way in space

to avoid orbital debris with an

identified trajectory the space station

has to be moved from its course

in 2012 it avoided a piece of debris

from the collision between the Iridium

and Cosmos satellites three years

previously

in 2021 the space station was forced to

slalom five times between flying junk

this constant threat has become part of

the astronaut's daily lives

the space station is on the Collision

Course with a small piece of space junk

as we've heard from the grounds my watch

is beeping as a warning we have to take

the ISS into a higher orbit for this we

have to turn on the engines for 37

seconds and that is actually the only

time in which we can measure or feel any

acceleration on board suddenly we are no

longer weightless but we are pushed

backwards by the engines of the space

station

come back to me

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correct

sometimes the ballistic data about

debris is imprecise in which case no

risks are taken and the astronauts are

told to evacuate the station

urgently they take refuge in the Escape

module which can be separated from the

station and could return the astronauts

to Earth

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second

but evacuation isn't necessary every

time

frequently orbital debris is not

detected if it is smaller than four

inches

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nowadays there are around 150 million

pieces of junk that are too small to be

tracked by radars

in order to avoid this Menace satellites

and the space station

need to be protected

in Freiburg in Germany scientists from

The fraunhofer Institute test shielding

material using a super fast accelerator

known as a space gun

this space gun fires tiny metal balls at

various shielding materials

series of Chambers reproduces conditions

in space

they are filled with light gases and

accelerate the balls close to the same

speed as orbital debris 15 000 miles an

hour

at this speed the behavior of collisions

is very different from that on Earth

during a car crash for instance

when a car hits a wall or another car at

30 miles an hour it is deformed and

thousands of pieces of debris are

created as the material fragments

but at hyperbolocity speeds above 6700

miles an hour a collision creates

different physical phenomena

is fragmented so parts of data

vaporized and ionized and the other

parts can't be stency really huge

pressure loads which we had after behind

the Shockwave

hyper velocity a one millimeter ball has

more energy than a baseball flying at 60

miles an hour

reinforced doors protect the laboratory

the high-speed camera Which films more

than a million frames per second records

the moment of impact

as a safety precaution no one can stay

in the room while the space gun is being

fired

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thank you

the results of these tests on different

satellite components are then analyzed

the International Space Station we

tested Severus Shields but we also try

to test the components like a space

solar cells or components like tanks

which are located behind the walls of a

satellite

using Ultra slow motion images

the Space Gun T manages to understand

and model what happens during a

collision

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their work allows them to come up with

structures that are both light and

resistant to hyper velocity impacts

they have just proved that doubling or

tripling insulation layers can protect

satellite components hit by debris

smaller than four inches

the first layer fragments for debris the

second dissipates its energy and

protects the third layer

thanks to these experiments scientists

have been able to design satellites that

are resistant to small debris

but even today

we are unable to protect astronauts when

they are outside their vehicles during

space walks they remain exposed to small

debris that can't be detected by Radars

or seen by the human eye since they are

traveling so fast

even a minor impact would puncture an

astronaut's suit and lead to instant

death

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thank you

H1

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because of this risk NASA is actively

developing robots that could replace

humans to accomplish maintenance

operations outside the spacecraft

[Applause]

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though even robots would be unable to

withstand a collision with debris of

more than half an inch

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obviously the less debris there is the

better

cultures around the world have tried to

establish rules for the

non-proliferation of large debris as

they have done for land-based nuclear

weapons

for example satellite operators are

asked to empty all fuel on board their

space vehicles

all Rockets are equipped with systems to

vent or burn excess fuel A system that

is tested on the ground before each

launch

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[Applause]

satellites are limited to a maximum

25-year lifespan in orbit

finally objects in low earth orbit that

do not completely burn up on re-entry

are steered towards broad ocean areas

for their final impact

however these rules are not always

respected particularly since there is no

governing body to police offenders

and as time passes the amount of junk

increases

we're generating debris faster that it

can clean out by the atmosphere and

that's what we refer to as being an

unsustainable environment

there's only one real solution to this

problem clean out the debris that is

orbiting around the earth well you have

to bring back some of the objects that

we've left in orbit

based on the polluter pays principle

each country is supposed to finance the

elimination of its own debris

since 2013 Space Engineers have been

creating a new profession

space garbage guy

the idea is to come up with robotic

systems that can deal with large pieces

of garbage by sending them into a junk

incinerator

the Earth's atmosphere

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but it's a difficult task since orbital

debris moves like an asteroid spinning

around as it orbits because of gravity

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around the world the borages have been

coming up with robot satellites that

could capture debris and deorbit it

that's what they're working on at the

remove debris project at the Surrey

Space Center in England

in the real Mission you'll be dealing

with uncorporated debris that may be

spinning Space Engineers use technical

terms but their projects seem more like

children's games

Technologies we have on our mission is

the harpoon

it seems unlikely that the team is

developing a harpoon capable of

attaching onto a piece of debris in

order to drag it into the atmosphere

in our mission the remove debris Mission

the thing we're actually testing is the

impact mechanism of the Harpoon on a

natural Target plate

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the team is still at the experimental

stage where it is testing a miniature

Harpoon on a stationary Target

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first attempt

failed the Harpoon did not leave its

sheath because of an electromagnetic

problem second attempt hopefully the

Harpoon should be able to impact exactly

where you want it to hit three two one

fire

the trial and error method is a long

process but the team is improving its

system the first full-scale test in

space in 2019 was a success

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fully when that goes into space because

of the lack of gravity the alignment

should be much better than the tests we

can perform on Earth

the trial and error method is a long

process but step-by-step the team is

improving its system the first

full-scale tests in space will take

place in 2020

the Harpoon is not the only tool

envisaged by Space Engineers the South

Africa space agency created as recently

as 2010 has come up with its own

cleaning solutions that it hopes to

Market later

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one of their projects involves building

a small satellite capable of unfolding

its tentacles to capture debris hence

its name Medusa

Medusa will enclose the debris and drag

mover to where it needs to be either to

grave orbit or you decrease your

altitude and eventually tossed as debris

back into atmosphere and let it burn up

as the re-entry another advantage of the

menusa satellites is that they can be

launched in Squadron so as tests from

the International Space Station have

shown

Medusa is very light it's about 175

grams it is designed to be put onto

cubesats which is satellite the size

a cubesat is a small multi-use satellite

in the shape of a four inch Cube

developed by a Californian University

dozens of them can be launched at a time

which keeps costs down

it's a godsend for researchers

who have no other way of running

experiments in space

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coupled with cubesats that have already

proven themselves Medusa should be able

to eliminate debris over a long period

at the moment there's a lot of proposal

like harpoons a lot of them are one U so

you fire one time you miss you miss the

uniqueness of Medusa is that it allows

multiple attempts so the idea is to use

it many times as you can to remove small

targets

but the drawback with Medusa is that it

only targets small space junk

for large non-functioning satellites

other tools are necessary which opens up

the problem of financing these

operations

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unfortunately none of these Solutions is

ready for use nobody is ready to pay the

high price necessary to get rid of large

orbital debris

the bigger it is the more it causes

problems because any damage creates more

junk

the largest non-operational piece is

envisad an observation satellite the

size of a bus that was launched in 2002

by the European Space Agency

the time the agency was trying to get

the biggest return from their investment

but today Redding distances himself from

his predecessor's actions

they just want to maximize the revenue

they they use the last drop of fuel for

their operations rather than using the

fuel for deorbiting and this is the the

problem

when it was built it was the largest

observation satellite ever constructed

after five years of activity and having

circled the Earth around thirty thousand

times it should have been deorbited

before the end of its mission

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however ten years after being launched

the European Space Agency lost all

control of nbisat on April the 8th 2012

today it is a ticking time bomb as it

crosses paths with many other working

satellites

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the situation is so critical that the

European Space Agency is funding an

ambitious program to try and remove and

besat from its but

we believe that throwing a net could be

an option because throwing a net means

you will later have a connection by a

tether and that means they captured

envisad inside the net can be pulled

to test this space net Engineers use an

aircraft to recreate spaces zero gravity

conditions

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at the top of its parabolic flight in

the form of a bell it releases

passengers and objects from Earth's

gravity for several seconds

enough time to test a miniature version

of the net they will use to catch an

8-ton satellite

tests have prove that adding weight to

the corners of the net allows it to

enclose the body of a satellite without

snagging on its fragile solar panel

now all they have to do is build a

tractor satellite that can retrieve

invisat and return it to

Ports certainly more heavy than the

remover vehicle when you have to remove

something which is more heavy than

yourself it's better to pull than to

push because it keeps a more stable

scenario

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though it is essential for space safety

even this project is still in the

theoretical stages

for one simple reason

we have investigated the problem to look

for a solution but it would cost half a

billion euros

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for Technical and economic reasons no

robot garbage collector is ready for

work at this time

for this to become workable the cleanup

operation would need to be free like if

it was a passenger on another mission

and what seems to be quite promising is

what we call space pugs

the space tug would be multifunctional a

kind of space-based Swiss Army knife

it would refill a satellite on Tuesday

it would repair another on Wednesday it

would inspect a satellite on Thursday it

would do maintenance

and on Friday it would return to Earth

and it would gather up a piece of space

junk and send it into the atmosphere

however according to the Airbus

Engineers who are currently developing

space tags some technological problems

remain

what we cannot do at the moment is a

scheduled rendezvous with a Target that

has not been designed for this purpose

for example an old satellite or a piece

of orbital debris

a space Rendezvous is an organized and

controlled meeting between two space

devices we need to develop new

autonomous technologies that can manage

on their own

they would be based on Vision sensors

that would scan the environment and

analyze the contents of the images they

acquire

and this data analysis will detect the

parts of the objects that interest it in

order to be able to catch them and

manipulate them

the Space Tag project is still being

studied but thanks to Major funding the

first efficient cleaning service may

come into use by 2025.

as well as the European space agency and

envisatt space tax already have other

new clients private companies are

currently sending thousands of

satellites into low earth orbit to

create a new kind of network

these projects known as Mega

constellations have already become a

reality with satellites like spacex's

starlink or the one web project

oneweb's Visionary entrepreneur managed

to convince America's internet Giants as

well as European Airbus to make massive

investments in the fabrication of a

series of hundreds of satellites

its aim to guarantee internet access to

the most remote parts of the globe

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oneweb has designed this building and

will soon be launching a constellation

of satellites to bridge the digital

divide

provide high-speed Broadband access to

the half of the world the four billion

people without access today

in the initial constellation we're going

to have 882 satellites in 2022 the

number of Mega constellation satellites

in orbit exceeds the number of

satellites launched since the beginning

of the Space Race this has raised

concerns among spaced every specialists

Mega constellations are the big thing at

the moment for example Starling by

SpaceX Elon Musk today he has about 2

000 satellites in orbit in a first

generation that will make twelve

thousand then a second generation that

will make forty two thousand there is

also one web there are about 500

satellites and there are many other

constellations like this we expect to

have about 100 000 new satellites in

orbit by 2030. yet the promoters of

these Mammoth projects maintain that

they have taken all the precautions

necessary there are some things we

really need to think very carefully

about and creating some regulatory

environment so that the deorbit and the

operations are done in a manner

consistent with long-term use of space

for Humanity

we definitely have to think about how to

clean up space debris but we must also

consider the option of imposing a space

traffic system in the same way that we

have a system for Aviation

there is also the danger that space will

be filled with even more garbage if

there are failures there are satellites

that break down which will then circle

around as junk and that's my concern

that there will be more space to breathe

it is well known that wherever people go

they leave rubbish in their wake

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we know where the ISS is we know where

our satellites are we've done a lot of

internal resiliency and redundancy to

make sure we have control and management

of our satellite for the deorbit phase

despite reassurances from their

operators Mega constellation satellites

do sometimes stop working today with all

these new satellites that we're sending

into space thousands tens of thousands

hundreds of thousands of satellites

there's no problem as long as they work

but there are currently no International

regulations in place

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the solution would have to come from

above from the United Nations

legislating and forcing people to get

involved in cleaning up the space debris

yet most of the people engaged in space

exploration claim to be advocating for

policies

we're concerned there is no Global body

that regulates this it's a bunch of

different groups thinking about

regulating it a bunch of different

countries that have a variety of

thoughts about regulation without

actually putting meat on the bone

the future of the space industry is

promising but on the contrary the future

of space orbits is more worrying

there are more players putting

satellites into orbit not just large

Nations but also smaller Nations that

have this capacity their governments and

their private companies

while waiting for space to apply the

polluter pays rule orbital debris is a

major concern for satellite operators

and although few people on Earth are

aware of the problem one day soon our

lives could be spinning out of control

yes

foreign

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