One of the most exciting things about space now is how the barrier of entry is lowered where those without large financial government backing can launch space craft into space. However, while this opportunity will help speed up the advancement of our technology and help improve our lives on Earth the extra satellites, we need to be responsible. We are seeing space debris becoming an issue such as damaging other satellites and damaging sections of the ISS (1) (figure 1). Space debris is a serious hazard we need to resolve and the increase in satellite deployments and rocket launches could make this problem worse if we aren’t proactive enough. If we leave it as it is we could eventually end up with the Kessler Effect where the debris will create more debris which could make future mission missions in Low Earth Orbit practically unusable (2). To be more responsible in space here are some solutions and areas that we should investigate or resolve.

New treaties/agreements:  As more nations and agencies are getting involved in space, we need to consider new agreements in deorbiting old and damaged satellites from orbit to reduce the likelihood of collisions from debris and defunct satellites. Better collaborations between each nation and agency should help reduce accidental collisions that could increase the number of debris in Earth’s orbit.

Improve communication between private sector: Communication regarding satellite mission such as size, mass, altitude and expected lifetime could help each company to plan their missions to avoid potential collisions. Obviously, there will be issues regarding commercial sensitive information that each company will want to understandably protect which could limit the information made publicly available. But if we knew which satellites are currently in orbit and future missions could allow us to make contingency plans to avoid collisions which will reduce mission opportunities in the future. Also knowing what is currently operational we could have information of the satellites (mass, size etc) that has broken down which could pose a hazard to satellites in potential collision courses.  

Figure 2 Next generation dragNET De-orbit system (MMA Design)

Integrating de-orbiting technology: There has been numerous de-orbiting systems being developed such as sails which increase drag of a spacecraft to quickly reduce their de-orbiting time.  The dragNET (Figure 2) made by MMA Design is one example (3) which is device that can be integrated into the satellite and once the mission is finished it deploys a large membrane which increases the surface area and drag of the satellite. By incorporating de-orbiting technologies into your satellite design will help ensure expired satellites to de-orbit and burn up in the atmosphere quickly.

Consider low altitudes for unproven tech:  As mentioned in a previous post that highlighted pocketqubes and cubesats making it less risky to launch unproven space technologies which can help speed up development of space systems. However, there is a downside this where satellites with unproven technology could fail and end up being space debris and take years to de-orbit. One way to avoid this is to launch these satellites at a low orbit (e.g. 300km) therefore if the mission is a failure the spacecraft will only be in orbit for a couple of months. If the team wants to extend their mission time, they could incorporate a thruster which can increase the satellite’s altitude. The lessons learned from these in orbit demonstration missions can then be used to de-risk future missions.

Reduce light pollution from satellites: If anyone who has been involved in developing satellites or astronomy there is an issue with the number of satellites in the sky having a negative impact for ground-based astronomy (4). The research from ground-based astronomy is just as vital as in orbit activities therefore we should investigate and develop ways to reduce the light pollution satellites can create. Reducing the glare from satellites will help astronomers to study the night sky which could lead to future missions. Some potential areas of improvement are surface finishes or coatings or geometric shapes which could reduce the light reflected off the satellite’s body.

Reusable rockets: Some of the ideas proposed would reduce some demand for launches. Less launches will also potentially reduce the amount of debris as there would be less spent stages orbiting in LEO. We could also develop in more reusable rockets like the Falcon 9 and Starship from Space X where their lower stages return to Earth to be reused. By doing so we could ensure that launches don’t increase the amount of spent booster stages in LEO and causing potential hazards.

Developing circular economy in orbit: Instead of burning everything up in our atmosphere we could develop technologies to reuse, repurpose and repair the systems we already have in orbit. Companies like Orbit Fab are working heavily in developing a system that could be used to refuelling space craft (5) which would extend their lifetime. We could also develop spacecraft that could replace old worn components with brand new systems that could also extend and enhance their capabilities thus reducing the need in launching more satellites to do the same mission.

We have companies like DCUBED (6) developing an in-orbit 3D printer to manufacture components in space. Manufacturing in space could reduce the need for launching equipment if we can manufacture in situ which would help reduce pollution generated from launches.

Another part of the circular economy concept is in-orbit recycling. In-orbit recycling can extract and reuse the materials we have from broken satellites and rocket boosters that are orbiting our planet. These components also have rare and valuable materials such as gold which can be repurposed for future missions. One concept would be a satellite or tug collecting the debris and melting them down into raw materials which can then be machined, or 3D printed into new components. We could have the new parts designed on Earth and then sent to spacecraft to manufacture the new components in space. We could then incorporate this with in-orbit servicing satellites that could replace old, worn, or obsolete components with brand new parts.

Yes, these ideas are ambitious and would require a lot of investment and time to mature but we could help resolve space debris by seeing it as raw materials for new space systems in space instead of just viewing it as a problem that needs to be burned up in our atmosphere. We could see longer satellite missions that can be extended by cannibalising old and broken satellites. However, while the technical side could be resolved in the future, we could see potential legal problems as company A can’t just scavenge parts from a satellite from company B so there must be some form of governance in dealing with debris.

This isn’t a doom and gloom post as while there are some issues we need to resolve in there are plenty of opportunities for new people to enter the space industry to help fix these issues. This would lead to even more accessibility to space that could result in more opportunities, new technologies developed, new discoveries without any major interruptions.

References

1. Woodward, Aylin. A piece of space debris punched a tiny hole in the International Space Station, damaging a robotic arm. Business Insider . [Online] 1 June 2021. [Cited: 21 April 2024.] https://www.businessinsider.com/space-debris-hit-international-space-station-damaged-robotic-arm-2021-6?international=true&r=US&IR=T.

2. The Kessler Effect, the potential danger of the domino effect for space debris. SolarMems Technologies. [Online] 11 February 2022. [Cited: 21 April 2024.] https://solar-mems.com/news/the-kessler-effect-the-potential-danger-of-the-domino-effect-for-space-debris/.

3. Deorbit Systems. MMA Design . [Online] [Cited: 2024 April 21.] https://mmadesignllc.com/products/deorbit-systems/.

4. Patel, Kasha. Astronomers are worried about this satellite that’s brighter than most stars. [Online] The Washington Post, 4 October 2023. [Cited: 18 April 2024.] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/10/04/bright-satellite-study-bluewalker3/.

5. Orbit Fab. [Online] [Cited: 2024 April 21.] https://www.orbitfab.com/.

6. DCUBED announces world-first in-space manufacturing demonstration, highlighting company’s key business area. DCubed. [Online] 10 August 2023. [Cited: 2024 April 21.] https://dcubed.space/press/dcubed-announces-world-first-in-space-manufacturing-demonstration-highlighting-companys-key-business-area/.