This describes the satellite -filled sky that is now a reality and is getting more crowded every week! … [+]
VWPICS/Universal Images Group through Getty Images
The emissions of greenhouse gases here at land level are destroying the upper atmosphere, the soil thermosphere, which can potentially cause catastrophic satellite collision in the orbit of low soil.
The soil thermosphere lies very far in Leo, and greenhouse gas changes in the structure of the upper atmosphere should be considered when planning satellite operations moving forward, write the authors of a new study published only in the diary The endurance of nature.
While greenhouse gases are the lower atmosphere of the warm land, they cool the upper atmosphere, leading to a global contraction in connection, he told me William Parker, the main author of the letter and a doctoral candidate at the aeronautics and astronautics.
Climate change is reshaping the thermosphere, reducing the natural atmospheric crawl from which we depend to cleanse the waste of space, Parker told me. As the atmosphere contracts, the consequences of satellite division, clashes and tests of ASAT (antiselite weapons) become even more severe, intensifying increased risks in Leo, he says.
When the thermosphere is contracted, the decreasing density reduces atmospheric crawling – a force that attracts old satellites and other waste down in height, where they will encounter air molecules and burn, says MIT. Therefore, less crawling means the prolonged time of life for spatial waste, which will have regions required for decades and will increase the potential for collision in orbit, notes.
Crowded orbits
We have started more satellites in the last five years than have begun in the previous 60 years, says Parker. So this new level of spatial activity, paired with the climate change component, makes the orbital capacity an important topic to ensure long -term sustainability of space, he says.
There are over 10,000 satellites moving through the lower land orbit, which describes the region of space up to 2,000 km from the Earth’s surface, says MIT. In their new study, researchers simulated various scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions over the next century to investigate the impacts on atmospheric density and crawling, notes.
Space waste in orbit around the Earth, vector illustration. Space space, the garbage ring around the planet … [+]
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Leo satellites
And by the end of this century, the number of satellites securely placed within 200 to 1,000 km could be reduced by 50 to 66 percent, says MIT.
How many problems are Starlink constellations?
Today, Constellation Elon Musk’s Starlink operates over 60 percent of all active satellites in Earth’s orbit, says Parker. Only last year, they perform 100,000 collision avoidance maneuvers, avoiding satellites and other waste from past clashes, explosions and anti-slate weapons tests, he says.
How far is we from a full flowering Kessler flower syndrome — point at which collisions generate waste faster than they can naturally be removed?
Recent research suggests that at certain orbital heights, we may have already exceeded the Kessler syndrome threshold, says Parker. Even if no new satellites were to start in these height groups, waste levels would continue to rise while the clashes exceed atmospheric crawling that would otherwise clean the objects from the orbit, he says.
Seed should be done to prevent a melting of Kessler?
The US Federal Communications Commission recently adopted a rule that requires operators to deorbit a spaceship as soon as possible and no more than five years after the end of their mission, the authors notice.
But currently, individual satellite operators and nations are rapidly expanding their operations, seeking claims for different regions of space with little coordination, says Parker. We need international agreements to manage traffic in space effectively and ensure the efficient use of low land orbit, a finite and increasingly compressed source, he says.
Global cooperation
Without forcing international regulations, the race to occupy the orbital space will continue in an unstable and chaotic manner, says Parker. Global cooperation is essential to ensure long -term stability and security in the low land orbit, he says.
After all?
We were surprised by the sudden link between the climate change and the problem of space waste, says Parker. The good news is that solving one can help address the other, he says. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not just good for the planet; It also helps ensure long -term sustainability of space, says Parker.