‘Space Debris: Is It a Crisis?’ On ESA’s new film about Earth’s worrying orbital traffic
https://www.space.com/the-universe/earth/esas-new-documentary-paints-worrying-picture-of-earths-orbital-junk-problem
‘Space Debris: Is It a Crisis?’ On ESA’s new film about Earth’s worrying orbital traffic
https://www.space.com/the-universe/earth/esas-new-documentary-paints-worrying-picture-of-earths-orbital-junk-problem
2 Comments
After their petty behavior on the first launch of Galileo satellites atop a Falcon 9, I view with skepticism anything they write negatively about SpaceX.
For background, Ariane 5 had been retired, with Ariane 6 yet to fly, forcing the Galileo satellites to be launched on foreign rockets. They studiously and obviously avoided mention of Falcon or SpaceX after launch of the first two. I recall backlash in the industry press, with later acknowledgement.
Space debris pose long term problems only above a certain altitude. The lower severeal hundred kilometers are basically self cleaning due to the drag from our atmosphere. As long as our megaconstellations are in these lower orbits, they should be fine. I’d be wary if someone proposed a constellation at 1000+ km altitude though. Then stuff would stay up there for centuries/millenia.