{"id":48553,"date":"2024-06-17T11:43:10","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T10:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=48553"},"modified":"2024-06-17T11:43:10","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T10:43:10","slug":"initiatives-to-address-the-issue-of-space-debris-in-leo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/initiatives-to-address-the-issue-of-space-debris-in-leo\/48553\/","title":{"rendered":"Initiatives to address the issue of space debris in LEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

With increasing space activities in the modern day, a new and unexpected hazard has started to emerge: space debris.<\/h2>\n

In the past two years, more satellites have been launched than in the entire six decades of space exploration. This means there are millions of pieces of space debris flying in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).<\/p>\n

The majority of space debris consists of human-generated objects, such as pieces of spacecraft, parts of rockets, satellites that are no longer working, or explosions of objects in orbit flying around in space at high speeds.<\/p>\n

The increasing threat of space debris<\/h3>\n

Today, around 28,160 tracked objects remain in orbit, which are monitored by the US Space Surveillance Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Due to the rate of speed and volume of debris in LEO, current and future space-based services, explorations, and operations pose a safety risk to people and property in space and on Earth.<\/p>\n

Most space debris is moving fast and can reach speeds of 18,000 miles per hour, almost seven times faster than a bullet.<\/p>\n

Due to the rate of speed and volume of debris in LEO, current and future space-based services, explorations, and operations pose a safety risk to people and property in space and on Earth.<\/p>\n

So, what initiatives are ongoing to tackle this issue?<\/p>\n

The ESA Zero Debris initiative<\/h3>\n

At the Ministerial Conference of 2022, ESA was encouraged by Member States to implement a Zero Debris approach for its missions and to encourage partners and other actors to pursue similar paths.<\/p>\n

Building on a decade of collaborative work, ESA has taken the lead in space sustainability by introducing the \u2018Zero Debris approach\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is a bold goal: significantly limit the production of debris in Earth and Lunar orbits by 2030 for all future missions, programmes, and activities.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 shutterstock\/fatihaydintr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Agency put forward eight recommendations for zero space debris by 2030. They are:<\/p>\n