DECRYPTION – Generated since the beginnings of the conquest of space, millions of objects pollute orbits and risk causing the loss of satellites that have become essential.
Space debris alert. Since 1957, with Russia’s launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, mankind has been sending rockets, satellites and space stations into orbit. The pace is accelerating, from a few dozen satellites per year until 2010 to 1,400 in 2021. The proliferation of launches is due to the deployment of giant broadband internet constellations. By 2030, some 17,000 satellites should be in orbit, four times more than in the previous decade, according to Euroconsult. 58% of them will be launched on behalf of five constellations: Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper, Telesat and the Chinese GuoWang.
Read alsoSatellites and space waste: how to combine space conquest and sustainable development
Consequence: the orbits are more and more cluttered by satellites in activity or at the end of their life and pieces of rockets, some of which have collided. In total, more than 36,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm have been identified by space agencies. Of this total, 25,600 are listed in the…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 89% left to discover.
Cultivating your freedom is cultivating your curiosity.
Keep reading your article for 1€ the first month
Already subscribed? Login