On 10th February 2009, two giant metal bodies collided at a speed of 42120 km/h, approximately 800 km above Siberia’s Taymyr Peninsula. The collision between commercial communication satellite Iridium 33 and decommissioned Russian military satellite Kosmos 2251 was the first recorded instance of satellite collision, launching 1800 new trackable space debris in Earth’s orbit (Johnson, 2009).
Between particles of a few millimetres to the size of a double-decker bus, such debris can be considered as space pollution. Beyond collisions, the debris is made up fragments from anti-satellite testing, dead or failed satellites, or material from rockets (O’Callaghan, 2021). While lower-orbit objects like sensors can simply burn up in the atmosphere after a few years, the issue lie with higher orbit satellites at altitudes higher than 36,000 km. This includes communication and weather satellites which can theoretically remain in geostationary orbit for hundreds over thousands of years!
To date, space organisations monitor 34,000 pieces of space debris from missions in the past few decades. Specifically, we have approximately 2000 active satellites and 3000 decommissioned ones (O’Callaghan, 2021). This means that the Iridium-Kosmos collision released quite a significant number of debris, demonstrating a potential cause for worry for future scenarios as more satellite missions are launched. Additionally, the space race and its implications on armed conflict has resulted in countries like USA, Russia, China, and India testing the use of missiles to destroy their own satellites for testing (Urrutia, 2019).
All of these extra-terrestrial activities ironically have cross-border implications as space is humanity’s shared space. As we grow dependent on space-based information infrastructures, space pollution is definitely gaining a lot of attention as an area of concern. International bodies like the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs have been working for space organisations like NASA and the ESA to formulate guidelines in hopes of regulating this issue (Sethu & Singh, 2014). Technologies that destroy or shift debris is also being developed (Davey, 2017). However, as per other types of transboundary pollution, there will likely be issues in monitoring and enforcement.
Centuries ago, mankind treated oceans as an like an endless void meant as a dumpsite, destroying and desolating ecosystems. Our attitudes towards space seem to mirror this nonchalance. At the same time, I hope we have the foresight to learn from our past mistakes and enact measures that prevent similar issues from reoccurring.
References
Davey, M. (2017, March 25). ‘We’ve left junk everywhere’: Why space pollution could be humanity’s next big problem. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/26/weve-left-junk-everywhere-why-space-pollution-could-be-humanitys-next-big-problem
Johnson, N. (2009). The Collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251: The Shape of Things to Come. Presented at the Plenary talk 9 at the International Astronautical Congress.
O’Callaghan, J. (2021). What is space junk and why is it a problem? Retrieved 13 April 2022, from Natural History Museum website: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-space-junk-and-why-is-it-a-problem.html
Sethu, S., & Singh, M. (2014). Stuck in Space: The Growing Problem of Space Debris Pollution. UK L. Student Rev., 2, 96.
Urrutia, D. E. (2019, March 30). India’s Anti-Satellite Missile Test Is a Big Deal. Here’s Why. Retrieved 13 April 2022, from Space website: https://www.space.com/india-anti-satellite-test-significance.html