Re:The Kessler Syndrome: Space junk in orbit
by simonh on Sunday November 21, 2021 @06:34PM
(#29300887)
They’re all interesting points, but I think we’re a very long way from the satellite industry being a significant environmental concern.
Firstly reusable rockets cut the amount of discarded hardware massively. With expendable launchers almost all of the hardware dropped into the ocean or burned up is from the launcher. The satellite is a tiny fraction. This is a huge win.
Secondly the total mass of satellite hardware burning up is dwarfed by natural meteorites, of which approximately 100 tons of silicates, metals and hydrocarbons enters our atmosphere every day. That’s an entire ISS every 4 days. That’s 600 times the mass of satellites the US launches per year.
The thing is Starship may well increase mass to orbit by that much. Even so, that would “only” double the natural rate of material entering the atmosphere.
Another strategy that might help, for high altitude satellites, would be to move to fewer bigger satellites, with racks for different companies instruments, and with self de-orbit capability. Treat them like orbiting data centres. Starship can certainly handle big satellites, and if launches are cheap then it could be affordable to fit such satellites with de-orbit capability. Or maybe even send a Starship to swallow it up and bring it back.
Firstly reusable rockets cut the amount of discarded hardware massively. With expendable launchers almost all of the hardware dropped into the ocean or burned up is from the launcher. The satellite is a tiny fraction. This is a huge win.
Secondly the total mass of satellite hardware burning up is dwarfed by natural meteorites, of which approximately 100 tons of silicates, metals and hydrocarbons enters our atmosphere every day. That’s an entire ISS every 4 days. That’s 600 times the mass of satellites the US launches per year.
The thing is Starship may well increase mass to orbit by that much. Even so, that would “only” double the natural rate of material entering the atmosphere.
Another strategy that might help, for high altitude satellites, would be to move to fewer bigger satellites, with racks for different companies instruments, and with self de-orbit capability. Treat them like orbiting data centres. Starship can certainly handle big satellites, and if launches are cheap then it could be affordable to fit such satellites with de-orbit capability. Or maybe even send a Starship to swallow it up and bring it back.