Re:SpaceX reprioritized to cyber defense and overcoming sign...
by modeless on Saturday March 05, 2022 @03:08AM
(#30565473)
Should be 5 years or less, that's why SpaceX put the satellites in low orbit, the atmosphere cleans it up. Also a low orbit debris cloud wouldn't prevent launching new satellites to higher orbits, the probability of collision just passing through would still be negligible, it adds up as you spend time in the polluted orbits. There are a lot of misconceptions about space debris.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:SpaceX reprioritized to cyber defense and overcoming sign...
by mjevans on Saturday March 05, 2022 @04:57AM
(#30566084)
5 years if __intact__ and simply inoperative. In the event of a collision or attack the objects will break up, and the energy is not evenly distributed. Some pieces end up with lower energy and decay faster, others greater energy and thus higher orbits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome cascades can result and even spread to higher orbits. As an extreme emergency measure it might even be wise to de-orbit everything in attempt to mitigate the damage.
Re:SpaceX reprioritized to cyber defense and overcoming sign...
by xoa on Saturday March 05, 2022 @06:38AM
(#30566600)
>others greater energy and thus higher orbits.
Wrong. You cannot execute an orbital change with a single application of delta-v. Any pieces can at most end up in a new elliptical orbit where the high point is further up and the low point is where they started, and this subject to the same atmospheric drag there. It takes a second application of energy at the top to circularize into a new orbit.