From the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome The Kessler syndrome , also known as the Kessler effect , [ 1 ] [ 2 ] collisional cascading , or ablation cascade , is a scenario proposed by NASA scientists Donald J. Kessler and Burton G. Cour-Palais in 1978. It describes a situation in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) becomes so high due to space pollution that collisions between these objects cascade, exponentially increasing the amount of space debris over time. [ 3 ] This proliferation of debris poses significant risks to satellites , space missions, and the International Space Station , potentially rendering certain orbital regions unusable and threatening the sustainability of space activities for many generations. [ 3 ] In 2009, Kessler wrote that modeling results indicated the debris environment had already become un...
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Amazon Project Kuiper lifts off to launch the first production satellites from Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images https://the1a.org/segments/cyber-monday-the-potential-threat-of-space-debris/ This is a great listen! Excerpt from the website: U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris. Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded. And where there’s crowds, there’s waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces — everything from dead satellites to spent rocket stages. And tiny ones like blots and paint flecks. But they’...
Uh oh! It appears BMSO has some competition. A Japanese company, Astroscale, developed a spacecraft to capture space debris and launched it in February 2024. Last week, they got within 50 feet of a large piece of debris. Article on Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/02/astroscale-aced-the-worlds-first-rendezvous-with-a-piece-of-space-junk/ Article on MSN: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/japan-s-spacecraft-makes-world-s-first-move-to-chase-dead-rocket-junk-for-cleanup/ar-AA1A8z2A?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=9482be91a27d4019ad22989aa1ef73fd&ei=30
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