49 votes

Humanity's current space behavior 'unsustainable,' due to satellite and space junk congestion, European Space Agency report warns

Posted by boxer_dogs_dance
Tags: satellites, europe, debris, reports, european space agency, humanity, author.andrew jones, source.space
https://www.space.com/human-space-behavior-unsustainable-esa-report

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Authors
Andrew Jones
Published
Sep 14 2023
Word count
591 words

15 comments

  1. [5]
    BoomerTheMoose
    Link
    Woof, I'd love to read this article but the deluge of ads makes looking at that website really difficult.

    Woof, I'd love to read this article but the deluge of ads makes looking at that website really difficult.

    4 votes
    2. ColorUserPro
      Link Parent
      Humanity's current marketing behavior 'unsustainable', internet users warn

      Humanity's current marketing behavior 'unsustainable', internet users warn

      13 votes
  2. [7]
    Halfdan
    Link
    Is this new? I sorta remember reading about this in Science Illustrated somewhere around 30 years ago.

    Is this new? I sorta remember reading about this in Science Illustrated somewhere around 30 years ago.

    3 votes
    1. [6]
      wowbagger
      Link Parent
      Kessler Syndrome isn't a new concept at all but it's being talked about more recently due to the multiple commercial constellations under assembly in low earth orbits. According to the report: So...

      Kessler Syndrome isn't a new concept at all but it's being talked about more recently due to the multiple commercial constellations under assembly in low earth orbits. According to the report:

      "Early constellation satellites had very low compliance, for example, while the compliance of those launched this decade is almost 100%."

      So it sounds like compliance is high these days but many older objects are still around from a time when debris management wasn't prioritized, and these can take a very long time to decay and reenter naturally. ESA's report also mentions some projects they have underway to help mitigate some of these.

      We certainly have the technical ability to keep our orbits clean; this problem is a political one. Space doesn't belong to any one entity and it's tough to regulate.

      8 votes
      1. [5]
        vektor
        Link Parent
        There's also the option of moving stuff into less desirable (more fuel required,more distance from Earth's surface) orbits instead. Space is, firstly, very very big. Kessler won't stop us from...

        We certainly have the technical ability to keep our orbits clean;

        There's also the option of moving stuff into less desirable (more fuel required,more distance from Earth's surface) orbits instead. Space is, firstly, very very big. Kessler won't stop us from moving through 500km on the way to 1000, he might stop us from staying at 500. Of all the things where humans are being dickheads and leaving a mess behind because we don't like acting responsibly and sustainably, this is the least of them. And I say that as a space exploration nerd.

        3 votes
        1. [4]
          wowbagger
          Link Parent
          Further orbits aren't always better. Stuff below 400 km decays quickly (a year or less) on its own due to trace drag from the outer fringe of the atmosphere. Starlink is around 550 km, which takes...

          Further orbits aren't always better. Stuff below 400 km decays quickly (a year or less) on its own due to trace drag from the outer fringe of the atmosphere. Starlink is around 550 km, which takes a bit longer, but as I said earlier most large constellations have deorbit provisions so they're not as much of a concern. It's the higher orbits where you really have to be careful because objects will just stay there for centuries if you screw up.

          3 votes
          1. [3]
            teaearlgraycold
            Link Parent
            My guess is that Kessler Syndrome is largely an issue with geosynchronous orbits. There's not very much real-estate there and no trace atmosphere to eventually bring things down.

            My guess is that Kessler Syndrome is largely an issue with geosynchronous orbits. There's not very much real-estate there and no trace atmosphere to eventually bring things down.

            3 votes
            1. [2]
              wowbagger
              Link Parent
              One saving grace for GEO is that perimeter scales at 2pi times the radius, and so the further out you go the more room you have in the orbit. GEO is highly desirable, but at 35,000 km there's a...

              One saving grace for GEO is that perimeter scales at 2pi times the radius, and so the further out you go the more room you have in the orbit. GEO is highly desirable, but at 35,000 km there's a lot of space to go around. And the hardware that's there is mostly going in the same direction at the same speed, which also helps.

              1 vote
              1. teaearlgraycold
                Link Parent
                Yes it's far out, but we're talking about a mostly 1-dimensional space vs a 2-dimensional space. 2 dimensions is going to win.

                Yes it's far out, but we're talking about a mostly 1-dimensional space vs a 2-dimensional space. 2 dimensions is going to win.

  3. [3]
    MDKAOD
    Link
    Surprise, surprise, humans doing another unsustainable thing.

    Surprise, surprise, humans doing another unsustainable thing.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      Habituallytired
      Link Parent
      I was going to say the same thing. It sounds humans really don't know how to do things without ruining the ecosystem of wherever they do things.

      I was going to say the same thing. It sounds humans really don't know how to do things without ruining the ecosystem of wherever they do things.

      1. DundonianStalin
        Link Parent
        We absolutely do know how to do things without destroying whatever environment we happen to be in, it's worse than that, we choose destruction and we choose it everyday.

        We absolutely do know how to do things without destroying whatever environment we happen to be in, it's worse than that, we choose destruction and we choose it everyday.

        1 vote