Debris
Space debris or sometimes called orbital debris or space junk
Low Earth Orbit LEO
Thirty-five years of poor housekeeping in space plus both deliberate and accidental spacecraft collisions have created several hundred thousand pieces of space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO).
LEO Space Debris Map 1989
USA Radar-based systems used to track space junk, in 2013 the US Air Force's "Space Fence" was shut down. It used to follow almost 200,000 objects in space. There is now an urgent need for a new system
A new space fence radar has been proposed for Kwajalein Island but has no time scale if at all.
Russia has an optical space object recognition station located on Chapa mountain at Krona using a laser optical locator (lidar) since 2005.
New light-based technology systems have become cheaper than the use of radar. Lockheed Martin is working with Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems (EOS) to build a new tracking station in Western Australia.
The site will employ advanced optical and laser technology to detect, track and identify specific space objects.
The Next step will be to be able to remove these LEO debris
One possible option is laser orbital debris removal (LODR)
Clearing space debris with lasers
See "Kessler syndrome"
Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
European Space Agency (ESA) observe space debris in the geostationary ring and in geostationary transfer orbits, ESA Space Debris Telescope Space debris surveys are carried out every month, centered around New Moon.
track the large objects Space Debris 2015
Space Junk: It's Much Worse Than You Think | Answers With Joe
External Links
External link to "Kessler syndrome"