“We were terrified”. Simple, concise and… disturbing. This has been the message sent from the POT through the mouth of its deputy administrator, Pamela Melroy, who was also an astronaut. The reason for this panic? A collision that almost took place on February 28, 2024 and that we did not even hear about here from the ‘ground’: a drifting Russian satellite passed very close to an American satellite.
They didn’t even touch each other, but just by ten meters. Ten meters that, in fact, saved the Earth from experiencing a global disaster: if both satellites had collided, the accident would have created millions of hypersonic particles that would not only have endangered the lives of astronauts in space stations, Melroy explained, but that these particles could have become shrapnel that could have destroyed vital infrastructure for humanity.
“It was very shocking personally and for all of us at NASA,” acknowledged the administrator of the US space agency during the Space Foundation Space Symposium which was held in Colorado this week. “If the two satellites had collided, we would have seen the generation of shrapnel, small fragments that travel 16,000 kilometers per hour and they can punch a hole in another spacecraft and potentially put human lives at risk“Morey explained. A hypothetical situation that “really scared us” at NASA.
“Putting human lives at risk”
This potential global catastrophe originated when the Russian satellite Cosmos 2221 – which is no longer in operation – deviated from its orbit and came extremely close to the NASA satellite TIMED (acronym for Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics), in charge of monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere and which also does not have the capacity to maneuver.
“On February 28, a NASA spacecraft called TIMED and a Russian satellite, neither maneuverable, were expected to approach. We recently learned that the path ended up having less than 10 meters awayless than the distance between me and the front row,” the former astronaut commented to the symposium attendees. The approach was expected, but not that it would be so close…
And after explaining the situation, Morey emphasized the consequences that the collision would have had: “If the two satellites had collided, we would have seen generation of debrissmall fragments traveling at 16,000 kilometers per hour, waiting to pierce a hole in another spaceship and potentially put human lives at risk.
“It’s sobering to think that something the size of an eraser on the tip of a pencil could wreak so much havoc, but it can. Everyone we are worried For this. “The weather really scared us.”
NASA takes action
This event once again highlights the risks caused by space debris. Currently there more than 10,000 satellites orbiting around the Earth, a figure that has quadrupled since 2019 and is expected to continue growing exponentially.
In fact, they have approved the launch of about 400,000 satellites worldwide for low-Earth orbit (SpaceX alone is prepared to launch another 44,000 for its Starlink internet constellation). A number that reflects the complexity and density of space traffic, which, at this rate, will become a very difficult challenge to manage if immediate measures are not taken. Because we must not forget that, to the new satellites in orbit, we must add all those that are still there ‘up’ despite not being operational.
“The problem is monumental. We can’t even agree on the number of pieces of shrapnel in orbit because we have so many models out there. Space is full. We’ve been making it harder and harder for ourselves, so NASA is moving forward to make sure we do the right thing,” Melroy wanted to state.
That is why NASA recently announced the launch of its Space Sustainability Strategya plan that aims to improve tracking (mapping), monitoring and management of both satellites and space debris in order to keep orbits as clear as possible.
Likewise, the US space agency also urges take actions. On the one hand, limit the invasion of unnecessary commercial space internet networks, a clear allusion to SpaceX and Elon Musk, although also directed at other companies and projects (G60 Starlink, Boeing, Jeff Bezos…). On the other hand, the imposition of maneuvering, refueling and deorbiting systems on future satellites.
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