Tsunamura 1

Rentaro Tsunamura

Dr. Stacey Said

ENG-1301-04

31 March 2022

Expansion of Space Debris

When you think of environmental issues, what comes to mind first? Most people would

imagine deforestation, ocean pollution, and the illegal dumping of garbage. There are many other

environmental issues besides these. However, there is a problem that we often overlook, and that

is not well known to the public. It is the expansion of space debris in Earth's orbit. Space debris

refers to human-made objects such as inactive satellites and rocket engines launched from Earth

floating around in space. It is a problem that is difficult for non-astronauts to understand visually,

and even if they do hear about it, they forget about it quickly. Space debris sounds like a problem

that happened recently, but NASA has been planning to reduce space debris for a long time. That

plan was ineffective, and much space debris is still expanding today. The impact of this

expansion may soon be felt on our skin in the future. We must turn our attention to this problem

before it is too late. I will share with you the causes of the expansion of space debris and the

serious impact it is causing. Excessive satellite and rocket launch and satellite destruction

experiments by the United States, India, China, and Russia have expanded the amount of space

debris in Earth orbit, which may lead to collisions with satellites or the International Space

station or fall to the ground where we live.

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The one cause of the expansion of space debris in Earth’s orbit is excessive satellite and

rocket launches around the world. Although it may not be well known, many countries have been

active in launching satellites in recent years. It causes space crowding. Overcrowding in space

caused satellite collisions. In 2009, Iridium 33, an Iridium Satellite LLC satellite, collided with

Cosmos 2251, a Russian military satellite. As a result, the number of space debris increased from

about nine thousand in 2008, before the impact, to about eleven thousand in 2009 (National

Aeronautics and Space Administration 2). The graph provided by NASA clearly shows the sharp

increase after the accident compared to previous years. This accident is one of the historic

accidents that increased space debris. Also, Davit Todd's commentary based on the Seradata

SpaceTrak Launch & Satellite Database states that “the final score for an orbital launch in 2021

is 146 points, the highest number since the history of space launches began with the launch of

Sputnik in 1957” (Todd). The rocket consists of several components, including boosters, which

become space debris when separated in space. Failed rockets and inactive satellites in space also

become space debris. In other words, the increase in the number of launches into Earth orbit in

recent years has contributed to the expansion of space debris. You can see that the current

struggle for space supremacy among countries is intensifying. For this purpose, the launch of a

rocket will be essential. Therefore, we can predict that more space debris will be generated in the

future. In summary, the launch of satellites into Earth orbit and the launch of rockets are some of

the causes of expanding space debris.

Another cause of the expansion of space debris is satellite destruction experiments by the

United States, India, China, and Russia. It is an experiment that launches missiles from the

ground to destroy disused satellites orbiting the Earth. Destroyed satellites are shattered and exist

in Earth's orbit as space debris. If this were not a test, it would destroy the satellites of other
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countries and cut off their communications. Those weapons are called anti-satellite weapons or

ASAT. The first experiments were conducted by the United States and the Soviet Union during

the 1970s and 1980s. According to new research, this experiment produced over seven hundred

large new pieces of space debris. (“Space Debris from Anti-Satellite Weapons”). These are

extremely terrible weapons. This experiment was a major contribution to the expansion of space

debris. In 2007, China successfully tested a missile to destroy an inactive satellite. The number

of fragmentation debris in 2007 increased from about fifty-five hundred to about ninety-two

hundred, an increase of about thirty-seven hundred (National Aeronautics and Space

Administration 2). This experiment produced the largest number of fragmentation debris until

2022. These experiments are a factor in the expansion of space debris and are used as weapons,

so we should not be conducting these experiments in the future. However, in recent years

experiments have been conducted in India and Russia. According to an article from Lewin, the

2019 ASAT experiment in India generated four hundred pieces of debris. The U.S. Space

Command estimates that more than fifteen hundred pieces of debris could be detected because of

Russian missile tests last November (Raju). It may be difficult to clean up the space environment

because experiments to destroy satellites with missiles are one of the factors contributing to the

expansion of space debris, and some countries may continue to do so.

One effect of the expansion of space debris is the collision of space debris with satellites

or the ISS (International Space Station). If a satellite or the International Space Station collides

with space debris, it may break down. There have been actual collisions in the past. The

Canadian Space Agency announced that space debris struck Canada's robotic arm on the ISS last

year and created a large hole in the arm (Byrd). If there had been larger space debris or a

different place of the hitting, there could have been more damage. In that case, the lives of the
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ISS crew may be threatened. That would have a significant impact on future space development.

According to research, a small satellite called Pegaso, launched by Ecuador in 2013, was

collided with fragments of a rocket launched by the Soviet Union in the past, causing it to stop

sending and receiving data (TECH SPACE). Depending on the type of satellite, the destruction

of satellites can harm us in many ways, including weather forecasting, Internet access, and

television reception. In addition, collisions of space debris with satellites and the ISS may create

more space debris. That is a negative cycle that would further increase the probability of ISS or

satellite collisions. It will probably be difficult to research new technologies in space. Most of us

hear about space crises infrequently, but if we hear about them after a major accident has

occurred, it may be too late for the space environment in Earth's orbit. The world as a

governmental unit must stop the expansion of space waste. In summary, the expansion of space

debris may have a significant effect on the ISS crew and our daily life of convenience.

Another effect is that space debris may fall to the Earth where we live. Some may wonder

if such a thing will occur. That is because the Earth has air, and when things fall, they burn up

and disappear due to friction. However, if they are slightly large or sturdy, they may pass

through the Earth's atmosphere and fall to the Earth. There are several previous examples of

space debris falling without burning up. According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, rocket

fuel tanks and satellite fragments were found in a field in Spain in 2015 (“Space Rains Junk on

Spain (Update)”). It is scary to imagine that if that thing falls on my house while I sleep. There

was one such impactful event recently. According to Daniel Strain, in 2021, fragments from the

Chinese-launched Long March 5 rocket crashed off the coast of the Maldives in the Indian

Ocean. The debris fell out to sea, but if it had hit someplace inhabited, it would have been a

serious problem. Although there have been no fatalities from falling space debris in the past, no
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one knows what the future will bring. There is a lot of space debris in space that could fall. The

expansion of space debris will potentially increase the number of such events. In short, the

expansion of space debris in Earth's orbit may cause space debris to fall to the ground. If it

happens in our living area, there could be great damage to our town. The event may also threaten

our lives.

The expansion of space debris is a concern for many space organizations in many

countries. These are not only an obstacle to future space research but also may cause harm to us

humans. Even now, when we are spending our time freely, a lot of space debris is spinning

around the Earth at high speed. Before that happens, we need to have a clear understanding of the

dangers of this problem and urge countries with active space programs to minimize space debris

when conducting research. In addition, missile tests that destroy satellites should be stopped

immediately, as they are not only expanding the amount of space debris but are also creating a

terrible weapon that could lead to a disastrous situation for the world. My solution to reducing

space debris is the idea of sending a spacecraft with a powerful magnet into the sky to collect the

garbage and burn it all in the sun. It may be difficult on a budget, but will it not play a major role

in reducing space debris?

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Works Cited

Byrd, Deborah. “Lucky Strike: Space Debris Smacked ISS Robotic Arm.” EarthSky | Updates

on Your Cosmos and World, 5 June 2021, earthsky.org/space/lucky-strike-space-debris-

smacked-iss-robotic arm/#:%7E:text=The%20Canadian%20Space%20Agency

%20(CSA,service%20in%20orbit%20since%202001.

Lewin, Sarah. “NASA Chief Slams India’s ‘terrible’ Anti-Satellite Test.” NBC News, 3 Apr.

2019, www-nbcnews-com.translate.goog/mach/science/nasa-chief-slams-india-s-terrible-

anti-satellite-test-ncna990206?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=ja&_x_tr_hl=ja&_x_tr_pto=op,sc.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. “Orbital Debris” [Houston]. Quarterly News, 22

Mar. 2022, orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv26i1.pdf.

Raju, Nivedita. “Russia’s Anti-Satellite Test Should Lead to a Multilateral Ban | SIPRI.”

STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 7 Dec. 2021, www-

sipri-org.translate.goog/commentary/essay/2021/russias-anti-satellite-test-should-lead-

multilateral-ban?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=ja&_x_tr_hl=ja&_x_tr_pto=op%2Csc.

“Space Debris from Anti-Satellite Weapons.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 21 June 2007,

www.ucsusa.org/resources/space-debris-anti-satellite-weapons.

“Space Rains Junk on Spain (Update).” PHYS ORG, 12 Nov. 2015, phys.org/news/2015-11-

space-junk-spain.html.

Strain, Daniel. “Crashing Chinese Rocket Highlights Growing Dangers of Space Debris.” CU

Boulder Today, 14 May 2021, www.colorado.edu/today/2021/05/12/crashing-chinese-

rocket-highlights-growing-dangers-space-debris.

TECH SPACE. “Ecuador’s Only Satellite May Have Been Damaged in Space Collision.”

SPACE DAILY,
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www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ecuadors_only_satellite_may_have_been_damaged_in_spa

ce_collision_999.html. Accessed 28 Mar. 2022.

Todd, David. “2021 Launch Year: A New Record for Both Orbital Rocket and Satellite Launch

Totals.” Seradata, Seradata, 31 Jan. 2022, www.seradata.com/2021-launch-year-a-new-

record-for-both-orbital-rocket-and-satellite-launch-totals-in-a-year.