Satellites and Space Pollution

Since the invention of satellites starting with Sputnik almost sixty-five years ago, society has found more and more uses for them including communication, navigation, and space imagery. We are increasingly reliant on technology powered by satellites. More than four thousand are currently orbiting Earth. However, have we considered how much they affect our environment?

“Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water,” Jan Wörner of the ESA (European Space Agency) says. The most pressing issue is the debris which spreads when collisions occur between satellites and space waste. The remains can spread and orbit for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Even when the wreckage is small, it is still deadly at the fast speeds of space.

Satellites are tracked carefully to avoid crashes in the air. With the growing number of satellites, there are full military teams focused on lowering the risk of crashes. Regardless, as the particles get smaller, they become impossible to track.

190 satellite crashes have occurred since 1961. The first example of this was in 2009 when the inactive satellite Cosmo 2251 collided with the Iridium Satellite LLC. Donald Kessler predicted in 1978 that the issue would continue to become more complex. Kessler Syndrome states that as more collisions occur, they will increase in frequency. The debris will break into smaller pieces and become much more difficult to track. As our control over the debris lowers, collisions will inevitably become unavoidable.

The full impact of space pollution has yet to come to light. One lingering worry is the safety of future space exploration. As the area gets more polluted, it becomes increasingly difficult to leave Earth. The International Space Station has been forced to dodge debris as the issue worsens. Chipped paint, nails, or a stray piece of metal could puncture its surface. With each launch into space, rockets leave behind waste that surrounds Earth. Without careful deliberation over how to handle waste, space exploration may cause its own downfall.

Nevertheless, we are not without hope. Our atmosphere is an important aid in decreasing space debris. As the debris lowers in orbit and enters our atmosphere, it is incinerated due to the atmosphere's thickness. However, as climate change causes carbon dioxide levels to rise, the density of our atmosphere is decreasing. The effectiveness of this strategy will lower as human activity further destroys the planet.