ISS crew shelters as space debris veers close by
Twice on Monday, the seven current occupants of the International Space Station had to go into a docked spaceship, fearing the possible impact of space debris.
Astronauts were forced to take emergency precautions
Fears of being hit by space debris forced the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to go into a docked spaceship for their safety twice on Monday.
The US State Department said the debris was the result of an anti-satellite missile test Russia carried out targeting one of its own satellites, adding there was now an increased risk to astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS as well as other human space flight activities.
Cosmonaut Piotr Dubrov said the threats were over after the remains of an out-of-service satellite flew by. There were "no signs" of impact, he added.
Anton Shkaplerov, the current ISS commander, tweeted, "Friends, everything is regular with us! We continue to work according to the program."
There are currently seven crew members aboard the ISS.
Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, confirmed that the station was "in the green zone."
Had the threats been more dangerous, the crew would have had to quickly return to Earth in the Crew Dragon vessel.
US media cited a statement by the US Space Command confirming "a debris-generating event in outer space," saying that it was looking into identifying the debris field.
Other outlets, citing unnamed officials, reported on a possible test of antisatellite weapons by Russia.
Such incidents are becoming more common as the skies fill with debris.
Last week, The New York Times reported that a piece of debris that was spawned by a Chinese anti-satellite weapon test in 2007 forced the ISS to maneuver itself to avoid it on Wednesday.
The US has long warned that the 2007 destruction of a defunct Chinese satellite by a rocket fired from Earth risked creating potentially catastrophic levels of space debris.
Twice on Monday, the seven current occupants of the International Space Station had to go into a docked spaceship, fearing the possible impact of space debris.
Astronauts were forced to take emergency precautions
Fears of being hit by space debris forced the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to go into a docked spaceship for their safety twice on Monday.
The US State Department said the debris was the result of an anti-satellite missile test Russia carried out targeting one of its own satellites, adding there was now an increased risk to astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS as well as other human space flight activities.
Cosmonaut Piotr Dubrov said the threats were over after the remains of an out-of-service satellite flew by. There were "no signs" of impact, he added.
Anton Shkaplerov, the current ISS commander, tweeted, "Friends, everything is regular with us! We continue to work according to the program."
There are currently seven crew members aboard the ISS.
Roskosmos, the Russian space agency, confirmed that the station was "in the green zone."
Had the threats been more dangerous, the crew would have had to quickly return to Earth in the Crew Dragon vessel.
US media cited a statement by the US Space Command confirming "a debris-generating event in outer space," saying that it was looking into identifying the debris field.
Other outlets, citing unnamed officials, reported on a possible test of antisatellite weapons by Russia.
Such incidents are becoming more common as the skies fill with debris.
Last week, The New York Times reported that a piece of debris that was spawned by a Chinese anti-satellite weapon test in 2007 forced the ISS to maneuver itself to avoid it on Wednesday.
The US has long warned that the 2007 destruction of a defunct Chinese satellite by a rocket fired from Earth risked creating potentially catastrophic levels of space debris.
Astronauts Forced to Take Shelter as Debris Cloud Threatens Space Station
Unconfirmed reports suggest the debris cloud was caused by the sudden breakup of a satellite and that a Russian weapons test is responsible.
By
George Dvorsky
Today 11:28AM
The International Space Station
Russia destroys satellite in ASAT test
Unconfirmed reports suggest the debris cloud was caused by the sudden breakup of a satellite and that a Russian weapons test is responsible.
By
George Dvorsky
Today 11:28AM
The International Space Station
Image: Roscosmos
All seven astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station are having to take shelter inside their respective spacecraft owing to the sudden appearance of a debris cloud in orbit, the source of which remains unclear.
Information is slowly trickling in, but we do know that the ISS is currently functioning normally and that all seven crew members are healthy and safe. The crew had to take shelter earlier this morning due to the sudden appearance of an orbiting debris field. The unexplained breakup of the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-1408 is currently the leading candidate for the source of the orbiting debris cloud.
NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer are sheltering inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon docked to the ISS, while Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are inside a Soyuz capsule, reports Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The astronauts could use these spacecraft to safely return to Earth in the event the ISS is damaged by the debris.
A live feed of NASA mission control is available, allowing you to follow the events as they’re happening.
Related Stories
Space Station Will Make an Emergency Maneuver After Detection of Threatening Space Junk
The crew was instructed to close the hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments, and also the radial hatches that seal off several modules, including the ESA’s Columbus module, as CBS reports. The radial hatches might have to stay closed for an entire day.
In a tweet, Roscosmos said the crew is “routinely performing operations according to the flight program,” and that the threatening “object” has “moved away from the ISS orbit.” By “object,” the Russian space agency is referring to the debris field. The “station is in the green zone,” Roscosmos added.
All seven astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station are having to take shelter inside their respective spacecraft owing to the sudden appearance of a debris cloud in orbit, the source of which remains unclear.
Information is slowly trickling in, but we do know that the ISS is currently functioning normally and that all seven crew members are healthy and safe. The crew had to take shelter earlier this morning due to the sudden appearance of an orbiting debris field. The unexplained breakup of the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-1408 is currently the leading candidate for the source of the orbiting debris cloud.
NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer are sheltering inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon docked to the ISS, while Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are inside a Soyuz capsule, reports Russian state-owned news agency TASS. The astronauts could use these spacecraft to safely return to Earth in the event the ISS is damaged by the debris.
A live feed of NASA mission control is available, allowing you to follow the events as they’re happening.
Related Stories
Space Station Will Make an Emergency Maneuver After Detection of Threatening Space Junk
The crew was instructed to close the hatches between the U.S. and Russian segments, and also the radial hatches that seal off several modules, including the ESA’s Columbus module, as CBS reports. The radial hatches might have to stay closed for an entire day.
In a tweet, Roscosmos said the crew is “routinely performing operations according to the flight program,” and that the threatening “object” has “moved away from the ISS orbit.” By “object,” the Russian space agency is referring to the debris field. The “station is in the green zone,” Roscosmos added.
“Friends, everything is regular with us!,” tweeted Shkaplerov. “We continue to work on the program.”
Despite these words of reassurance, operations aboard the ISS are most certainly not back to normal. Mission controllers are continually providing countdowns of each debris field transit (i.e. the closest approach of the debris field to the ISS). At 10:32 a.m. ET, controllers provided instructions for the NASA crew to temporarily enter into the Columbus module to perform some quick tasks and to collect personal items should they have to remain inside Dragon overnight (a possible indication that this could take a while).
The debris field transits were happening about once every 93 minutes at first, but now they’re happening about once every 30 to 40 minutes. In an email, Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said that, assuming it’s a debris field caused by a broken-up satellite, “there will be a big error bar on whether there is risk to ISS, hence the caution.”
The source of the debris field remains unconfirmed, but its sudden appearance coincides with reports that Russia has conducted an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test. In a tweet, Gunter Krebs, a physicist and editor of Gunter’s Space Page, said the target was an “old Soviet Tselina-D SIGINT satellite called Kosmos-1408 (1982-092A) launched in 1982, which has been dead for decades,” and that ”14 debris objects have been tracked.” But Krebs cautions: “So far no confirmation from official sources.”
U.S. Space Force “is aware of a debris-generating event in outer space” and is “working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have the information necessary to maneuver satellites if impacted,” tweeted space reporter Joey Roulette from the New York Times.
Today’s incident comes less than a week after the ISS had to make an emergency maneuver to evade potentially threatening space junk. In that case, it was a remnant of the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which China deliberately destroyed in 2007 as part of an anti-satellite missile test. India did something similar in 2019, joining the United States, Russia, and China as countries that have tested anti-satellite weapons. Currently, the use of ASATs “occupy a gray zone” when it comes to international arms control, writes Talia M. Blatt from Harvard University.
Despite these words of reassurance, operations aboard the ISS are most certainly not back to normal. Mission controllers are continually providing countdowns of each debris field transit (i.e. the closest approach of the debris field to the ISS). At 10:32 a.m. ET, controllers provided instructions for the NASA crew to temporarily enter into the Columbus module to perform some quick tasks and to collect personal items should they have to remain inside Dragon overnight (a possible indication that this could take a while).
The debris field transits were happening about once every 93 minutes at first, but now they’re happening about once every 30 to 40 minutes. In an email, Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said that, assuming it’s a debris field caused by a broken-up satellite, “there will be a big error bar on whether there is risk to ISS, hence the caution.”
The source of the debris field remains unconfirmed, but its sudden appearance coincides with reports that Russia has conducted an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons test. In a tweet, Gunter Krebs, a physicist and editor of Gunter’s Space Page, said the target was an “old Soviet Tselina-D SIGINT satellite called Kosmos-1408 (1982-092A) launched in 1982, which has been dead for decades,” and that ”14 debris objects have been tracked.” But Krebs cautions: “So far no confirmation from official sources.”
U.S. Space Force “is aware of a debris-generating event in outer space” and is “working to characterize the debris field and will continue to ensure all space-faring nations have the information necessary to maneuver satellites if impacted,” tweeted space reporter Joey Roulette from the New York Times.
Today’s incident comes less than a week after the ISS had to make an emergency maneuver to evade potentially threatening space junk. In that case, it was a remnant of the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which China deliberately destroyed in 2007 as part of an anti-satellite missile test. India did something similar in 2019, joining the United States, Russia, and China as countries that have tested anti-satellite weapons. Currently, the use of ASATs “occupy a gray zone” when it comes to international arms control, writes Talia M. Blatt from Harvard University.
by Jeff Foust — November 15, 2021
The Russian ASAT test destroying Cosmos-1408 drew comparisons to a 2007 Chinese ASAT test that created thousands of pieces of debris still being tracked today.
Credit: AGI
LAS VEGAS — A Russian satellite broke up in low Earth orbit in a deliberate test of a Russian antisatellite device that created thousands of pieces of debris.
The satellite, Cosmos-1408, appears to have broken up late Nov. 14 or early Nov. 15 Eastern time, based on commercial and government tracking data. The satellite, weighing about 2,000 kilograms, was launched in 1982 and, now defunct, was last tracked in an orbit about 485 kilometers high.
State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed the satellite was destroyed by an ASAT. “The Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct-ascent antisatellite missile against one of its own satellites,” he said at a Nov. 15 State Department briefing. “The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”
He added that the test “will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities.”
Early Nov. 15, the seven people on the ISS were instructed to shelter in their Crew Dragon and Soyuz vehicles because of a “debris cloud.” That debris cloud has since made several other close approaches to the station, although no damage was reported. The station’s crew resumed some operations later in the day although parts of the station remain sealed off as a precaution against any impacts.
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical,” Price said.
Asked later if the United States would file a formal diplomatic protest, Price said the U.S. has “spoken to senior Russian officials multiple times to warn them of the irresponsibility and dangerousness of such a test.” He declined to comment on any “specific measures” the United States government or those of allies would take in response to the test.
The British government also spoke out against the test. “This destructive anti-satellite missile test by Russia shows a complete disregard for the security, safety and sustainability of space,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in a statement. “The debris resulting from this test will remain in orbit putting satellites and human spaceflight at risk for years to come.”
Before the State Department statement, there was widespread speculation that Cosmos-1408 was the victim of an ASAT test, particularly given notices to airmen filed by Russians for a rocket launch from Plesetsk consistent with a direct-ascent ASAT test.
“We are tracking this Cosmos-1408 event. Where there used to be one satellite, we now see six radar detections, which could be individual objects, debris or clouds of debris,” said Dan Ceperley, chief executive of LeoLabs, a few hours before the State Department statement. The company later said it was seeing at least 30 distinct objects.
He later said that his company’s ground-based radars had been tracking Cosmos-1408 as a single object three times a day until detecting multiple objects at 11:20 a.m. Eastern Nov. 15, suggesting that the object broke up within the last day.
Ceperley was speaking on a panel about space domain awareness at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics here Nov. 15. Other panelists also weighed in, calling the incident “unfortunate” by increasing the population of debris in LEO.
“We had the Chinese ASAT in 2007. That’s been our nemesis for an extended period of time. It looks like now we have another one of these. This is not what we need to do,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX and the former longtime head of NASA’s human spaceflight programs.
That 2007 Chinese ASAT test created debris that continues to be a hazard for the satellites and the International Space Station. Last week, the station performed a debris avoidance maneuver when one piece of debris from that test showed a risk of passing close to the station. While the risk diminished before the time of closest approach, NASA and the other ISS partners elected to go ahead with the maneuver in place of a reboost maneuver originally planned for later this month.
LAS VEGAS — A Russian satellite broke up in low Earth orbit in a deliberate test of a Russian antisatellite device that created thousands of pieces of debris.
The satellite, Cosmos-1408, appears to have broken up late Nov. 14 or early Nov. 15 Eastern time, based on commercial and government tracking data. The satellite, weighing about 2,000 kilograms, was launched in 1982 and, now defunct, was last tracked in an orbit about 485 kilometers high.
State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed the satellite was destroyed by an ASAT. “The Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct-ascent antisatellite missile against one of its own satellites,” he said at a Nov. 15 State Department briefing. “The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”
He added that the test “will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities.”
Early Nov. 15, the seven people on the ISS were instructed to shelter in their Crew Dragon and Soyuz vehicles because of a “debris cloud.” That debris cloud has since made several other close approaches to the station, although no damage was reported. The station’s crew resumed some operations later in the day although parts of the station remain sealed off as a precaution against any impacts.
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long-term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical,” Price said.
Asked later if the United States would file a formal diplomatic protest, Price said the U.S. has “spoken to senior Russian officials multiple times to warn them of the irresponsibility and dangerousness of such a test.” He declined to comment on any “specific measures” the United States government or those of allies would take in response to the test.
The British government also spoke out against the test. “This destructive anti-satellite missile test by Russia shows a complete disregard for the security, safety and sustainability of space,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in a statement. “The debris resulting from this test will remain in orbit putting satellites and human spaceflight at risk for years to come.”
Before the State Department statement, there was widespread speculation that Cosmos-1408 was the victim of an ASAT test, particularly given notices to airmen filed by Russians for a rocket launch from Plesetsk consistent with a direct-ascent ASAT test.
“We are tracking this Cosmos-1408 event. Where there used to be one satellite, we now see six radar detections, which could be individual objects, debris or clouds of debris,” said Dan Ceperley, chief executive of LeoLabs, a few hours before the State Department statement. The company later said it was seeing at least 30 distinct objects.
He later said that his company’s ground-based radars had been tracking Cosmos-1408 as a single object three times a day until detecting multiple objects at 11:20 a.m. Eastern Nov. 15, suggesting that the object broke up within the last day.
Ceperley was speaking on a panel about space domain awareness at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics here Nov. 15. Other panelists also weighed in, calling the incident “unfortunate” by increasing the population of debris in LEO.
“We had the Chinese ASAT in 2007. That’s been our nemesis for an extended period of time. It looks like now we have another one of these. This is not what we need to do,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of build and flight reliability at SpaceX and the former longtime head of NASA’s human spaceflight programs.
That 2007 Chinese ASAT test created debris that continues to be a hazard for the satellites and the International Space Station. Last week, the station performed a debris avoidance maneuver when one piece of debris from that test showed a risk of passing close to the station. While the risk diminished before the time of closest approach, NASA and the other ISS partners elected to go ahead with the maneuver in place of a reboost maneuver originally planned for later this month.
US slams Russia for 'irresponsible' space missile test that sparked debris
By AFP
Published November 15, 2021
The United States denounced Russia Monday for conducting a “dangerous and irresponsible” missile test that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the International Space Station’s crew to take evasive action.
“Earlier today, the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing.
“The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”
The crew aboard the orbital outpost — currently four Americans, a German and two Russians — had to take shelter in their return ships, which is standard procedure in the event of an emergency that might force evacuation.
Russian space agency Roscosmos downplayed the incident.
“The orbit of the object, which forced the crew today to move into spacecraft according to standard procedures, has moved away from the ISS orbit. The station is in the green zone,” the agency tweeted.
But in his strongly-worded prepared remarks, Price said the danger was far from over.
“This test will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities,” he said.
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.
“United States will work with our allies and partners to respond to Russia’s irresponsible act,” he added, while declining to comment on specific measures.
Washington and Moscow have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, despite increasing political tensions in recent years.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also briefed reporters, in a sign of the incident’s strategic significance, and stressed that Russia did not give Washington advance warning of the missile.
“We watch closely the kinds of capabilities that Russia has seemed to want to develop, which could pose a threat not just to our national security interests, but the security incentives of other spacefaring nations,” he said.
“We’ve been very clear, we would like to see norms for space so that it can be used responsibly by all spacefaring nations.”
By AFP
Published November 15, 2021
The United States denounced Russia Monday for conducting a “dangerous and irresponsible” missile test that blew up one of its own satellites, creating a debris cloud that forced the International Space Station’s crew to take evasive action.
“Earlier today, the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing.
“The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations.”
The crew aboard the orbital outpost — currently four Americans, a German and two Russians — had to take shelter in their return ships, which is standard procedure in the event of an emergency that might force evacuation.
Russian space agency Roscosmos downplayed the incident.
“The orbit of the object, which forced the crew today to move into spacecraft according to standard procedures, has moved away from the ISS orbit. The station is in the green zone,” the agency tweeted.
But in his strongly-worded prepared remarks, Price said the danger was far from over.
“This test will significantly increase the risk to astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station, as well as to other human spaceflight activities,” he said.
“Russia’s dangerous and irresponsible behavior jeopardizes the long term sustainability of outer space and clearly demonstrates that Russia’s claims of opposing the weaponization of space are disingenuous and hypocritical.
“United States will work with our allies and partners to respond to Russia’s irresponsible act,” he added, while declining to comment on specific measures.
Washington and Moscow have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, despite increasing political tensions in recent years.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also briefed reporters, in a sign of the incident’s strategic significance, and stressed that Russia did not give Washington advance warning of the missile.
“We watch closely the kinds of capabilities that Russia has seemed to want to develop, which could pose a threat not just to our national security interests, but the security incentives of other spacefaring nations,” he said.
“We’ve been very clear, we would like to see norms for space so that it can be used responsibly by all spacefaring nations.”
by Jeff Foust — November 14, 2021
Policy challenges associated with active debris removal led ESA to devote its initial efforts on European debris only. Credit: ClearSpace SA Credit: EPFL/J.Caillet
WASHINGTON — Policy issues regarding active debris removal are not as difficult to overcome as many believe, industry officials say, but acknowledge that those challenges may hinder efforts to remove the most dangerous pieces of debris in orbit.
While much of the focus on active debris removal (ADR) involves the technologies needed to capture objects and remove them from orbit, policy challenges may be more significant. For example, removing a derelict satellite or upper stage requires permission of the owner, which can be difficult if the owner is another country.
“When someone looked at the policy and legal feasibility of active debris removal, often the conclusion was that this is too hard, there are so many insurmountable roadblocks. The only conclusion is that we need to have an international institution or an international treaty that is handling active debris removal,” said Josef Koller, co-lead of the Space Safety Institute at The Aerospace Corporation, during a Nov. 9 panel at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He disagreed. “I don’t think we can wait for an international treaty of an international institution,” he said. He published a paper that took a “bottoms-up” approach to the issue to find cases where active debris removal would be feasible from a policy perspective.
There are many scenarios where active debris removal is legally feasible, he said. Those scenarios involve consent between the debris owner and the ADR service provider, regulatory approval and contractual agreement between the parties that addresses liability and related issues.
Charity Weeden, vice president of global space policy for Astroscale U.S., endorsed the approach outlined by Koller in his paper. “We can’t be overwhelmed with, ‘it’s too hard, it’s too expensive,’” she said. “We need to break it down, and there are things that we can do today.”
Active debris removal systems would likely start first with the largest objects, including upper stages and large satellites left behind in orbit. Those objects present the greatest risk of producing large amounts of debris if they break up, either in a collision or on their own.
“If one of them gets involved in either a collision or a breakup, that will immediately produce hundreds of thousands of small ones,” said Holger Krag, head of the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office. “Large objects are the source of small ones, and we need to tackle the source of debris. That means all our efforts should concentrate on removing large objects.”
One problem with that approach is that many of those objects are Russian or Chinese. A study last year found that the 20 “statistically most concerning” debris objects in orbit were all the same class of Zenit upper stages. Overall, 78% of the top 50 most dangerous objects are upper stages.
“That is one of those harder cases,” Koller acknowledged, but argued it would still be possible to work out an agreement that could allow an American active debris removal system to deorbit a Russian upper stage.
One additional obstacle would be export control regulations, given the sensitivity of ADR technologies. “I think it depends on the technology that is being used for removing that piece of debris,” he said. A net, for example, might pose fewer challenges than a robotic arm or docking mechanism.
“Those 50 bodies are the harder ones. You don’t necessarily have to start there,” he said. “You can start with pilot projects, with objects in the same nation.”
Krag was more skeptical. “There’s technical consensus in the community that these upper stages are the most crucial to be removed,” he said of that top-50 list. “However, my prediction is that we will not see them removed in the near future. There are several legal hurdles to overcome, in particular across national boundaries.” That was a key reason that ESA’s project to remove an upper stage focused on a European one.
Another major emphasis for ADR, he said, was for satellites not yet launched, such as those in megaconstellations that are unable to deorbit themselves. “We will see, hopefully, in the future tighter national guidelines and space laws that mandate a ‘zero debris’ policy,” he said. “That means that an object that is not removed by own means will have to be removed by using these services.”
“These are hard problems, but we can do hard,” said Weeden. “If we developed a COVID vaccine within a year, I think we can tackle the ADR problem.”
WASHINGTON — Policy issues regarding active debris removal are not as difficult to overcome as many believe, industry officials say, but acknowledge that those challenges may hinder efforts to remove the most dangerous pieces of debris in orbit.
While much of the focus on active debris removal (ADR) involves the technologies needed to capture objects and remove them from orbit, policy challenges may be more significant. For example, removing a derelict satellite or upper stage requires permission of the owner, which can be difficult if the owner is another country.
“When someone looked at the policy and legal feasibility of active debris removal, often the conclusion was that this is too hard, there are so many insurmountable roadblocks. The only conclusion is that we need to have an international institution or an international treaty that is handling active debris removal,” said Josef Koller, co-lead of the Space Safety Institute at The Aerospace Corporation, during a Nov. 9 panel at the ASCEND conference by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He disagreed. “I don’t think we can wait for an international treaty of an international institution,” he said. He published a paper that took a “bottoms-up” approach to the issue to find cases where active debris removal would be feasible from a policy perspective.
There are many scenarios where active debris removal is legally feasible, he said. Those scenarios involve consent between the debris owner and the ADR service provider, regulatory approval and contractual agreement between the parties that addresses liability and related issues.
Charity Weeden, vice president of global space policy for Astroscale U.S., endorsed the approach outlined by Koller in his paper. “We can’t be overwhelmed with, ‘it’s too hard, it’s too expensive,’” she said. “We need to break it down, and there are things that we can do today.”
Active debris removal systems would likely start first with the largest objects, including upper stages and large satellites left behind in orbit. Those objects present the greatest risk of producing large amounts of debris if they break up, either in a collision or on their own.
“If one of them gets involved in either a collision or a breakup, that will immediately produce hundreds of thousands of small ones,” said Holger Krag, head of the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office. “Large objects are the source of small ones, and we need to tackle the source of debris. That means all our efforts should concentrate on removing large objects.”
One problem with that approach is that many of those objects are Russian or Chinese. A study last year found that the 20 “statistically most concerning” debris objects in orbit were all the same class of Zenit upper stages. Overall, 78% of the top 50 most dangerous objects are upper stages.
“That is one of those harder cases,” Koller acknowledged, but argued it would still be possible to work out an agreement that could allow an American active debris removal system to deorbit a Russian upper stage.
One additional obstacle would be export control regulations, given the sensitivity of ADR technologies. “I think it depends on the technology that is being used for removing that piece of debris,” he said. A net, for example, might pose fewer challenges than a robotic arm or docking mechanism.
“Those 50 bodies are the harder ones. You don’t necessarily have to start there,” he said. “You can start with pilot projects, with objects in the same nation.”
Krag was more skeptical. “There’s technical consensus in the community that these upper stages are the most crucial to be removed,” he said of that top-50 list. “However, my prediction is that we will not see them removed in the near future. There are several legal hurdles to overcome, in particular across national boundaries.” That was a key reason that ESA’s project to remove an upper stage focused on a European one.
Another major emphasis for ADR, he said, was for satellites not yet launched, such as those in megaconstellations that are unable to deorbit themselves. “We will see, hopefully, in the future tighter national guidelines and space laws that mandate a ‘zero debris’ policy,” he said. “That means that an object that is not removed by own means will have to be removed by using these services.”
“These are hard problems, but we can do hard,” said Weeden. “If we developed a COVID vaccine within a year, I think we can tackle the ADR problem.”
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