Experts identify the 50 most dangerous pieces of space debris
Removing these objects would halve the risk of new debris. Europe is at the top of the list.
European satellite Envisat: second place on the list of the most dangerous objects
(Image: ESA)
Space junk – disused satellites, burnt-out rocket stages, debris – threaten satellites and spacecraft. Many of them have been floating in orbit for decades. A team of experts has presented a list of the greatest threats.
The 50 pieces of debris listed by Darren McKnight's team from the satellite observation company LeoLabs pose the greatest danger from collisions in low earth orbit (LEO). McKnight presented the list at the International Space Congress in Sydney.
The objects are those most likely to contribute to the creation of more space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) through collisions with other debris. Many of them have been floating in orbit since the last century.
The majority originate from Russia or the Soviet Union: a total of 34 objects, 30 of which are parts of the SL-16 and SL-8 rockets. “The objects left behind before 2000 are still the biggest part of the problem,” McKnight told the US online magazine Ars Technica.
Danger from Envisat
China, whose space program is not yet that old, appears on the list with ten objects, the USA with three. Japan is represented by one. Two objects from the European space program are flying uncontrolled through LEO. One of these, the Envisat satellite, which failed in 2012, comes in second place behind a Russian SL-16 as the greatest threat.
The objects fly around the earth at around 29,000 km/h. Even a collision with a small object would generate an immense amount of debris, which in turn could trigger further collisions. Removing them would ensure significantly more safety in orbit: without these 50 objects, the risk of new debris being created would be halved. If only the 10 most dangerous objects were removed, it would drop by a third, according to McKnight.
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The bad news is that since the beginning of 2024, 26 rocket stages have been added to the space debris in LEO, which will remain in orbit for more than 25 years, McKnight told the online magazine. 21 of these came from China; they were part of the construction of the Guowang and Thousand Sails mega-constellations. To be able to transport more payload, fuel is being saved. This means that there is not enough available for a controlled re-entry.
(wpl)
