When countries and companies increasingly send satellites and spacecraft into orbit, they face an increasingly pressing problem: a lack of space. Debris from old satellites and other launches are floating around the earth, clogging orbital highways and increasing the risk of collisions with active satellites. Data from 2023 finds there are 13,953 pieces of trackable debris in space, compared to 10,350 spacecrafts or satellites, and 2337 rocket bodies. In today’s episode, The Hindu unpacks just how big of a problem space debris is. Experts discuss who is responsible for clean-up efforts, what that process would look like and what the path is moving forward, as our reliance on assets in space increases.
Guests:
Anirudh Sharma: founder & CEO of Digantara, a Space Situational Awareness Company based in India.
Dr Sanat Biswas : Assistant Professor at IIIT Delhi. His research interests are space vehicle navigation, GNSS applications, nonlinear estimation, and Space Situational Awareness.
