In the latest edition of the Space Situational Assessment report, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rued the increasing threat of collisions in space due to rising orbital debris. Space debris is a result of tens of thousands of rocket parts from launches, past collisions, defunct satellites, and fragments after anti-satellite weapon strikes (ASAT). While some have re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, many others have continued to orbit Earth and collide with active satellites. Given that the number of launches and payloads peaked in 2021, the crisis has only intensified. Hours have to be spent monitoring the debris to plan manoeuvres to avoid collisions. Also considering the extra fuel spent on such movements, it becomes a costly exercise. India did 19 such corrections in 2021, the highest ever for the country
- Over 25,000 active orbital debris are being tracked at present
- The U.S. and Russia/USSR are responsible for over 70% of debris
- The number of payloads carried per launch peaked at 16 in 2022
Space race
The chart shows the number of rocket launches and the number of payloads they carried over the years. In 2021, 135 launches carried 1,726 payloads to space, both the highest since the first satellite was launched
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Rise of debris
The chart shows the increase in the different types of space debris over the years. In 2022, about 25,000 such articles are still orbiting Earth
The three major jumps in fragmentation debris took place because of the ASAT test on Fengyun-1C conducted by China in 2007 (1), the accidental collision between Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 in 2009 (2), and the Russian ASAT test in November 2021 (3)
Country-wise contributions
The U.S. is responsible for over 9,400 orbital debris, Russia/ USSR is accountable for over 8,400, and China for 4,478. About 220 parts orbiting Earth are due to Indian rocket launches and the ASAT it carried out in 2019. The test strike by India was criticised as an event which will increase the quantum of space debris. Over 400 pieces of debris emerged from the event, but only one remains in orbit. The rest re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned
Costly corrections
The chart shows the increasing collision avoidance manoeuvres carried out by India to bypass orbital debris. The country did 19 corrections in 2021, which is its highest ever
ESA: European Space Agency, TBD: To be decided, ITSO: International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
Source: ISRO, Space-track, Orbital debris quarterly news
Also read: ISRO to step up tracking of space debris
