Space Debris Expert Warns of Increasing CubeSat Collision Risk
Hello reader!
It
follows an article published in the day (08/07), in the website www.spacedaily.com, pointing out that Space
Debris Expert warns of
increasing CubeSat Collision Risk.
Duda
Falcão
TECH
SPACE
Space Debris Expert Warns of
Increasing CubeSat Collision Risk
By Staff Writers
Southampton, UK (SPX) Oct 01,
2014
File image |
The
increasing number of small 'CubeSat' satellites being launched combined with a
relaxed attitude to debris mitigation could lead to hazards for all space users
unless preventative measures are taken, warns a leading space debris expert
from the University of Southampton.
Speaking
at the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto, Dr Hugh Lewis said
that this combination leads to a growth in space debris, as a result of
collisions between CubeSats and other objects in orbit.
CubeSats
are small satellites (around 10x10x10cm) that are providing opportunities for
companies to break into the space data and communications industries. Despite
many CubeSats not having any manoeuvring capability so they cannot avoid
collisions during the mission or manoeuvre to a disposal orbit at their mission
end, they are still perceived to have a low impact on the space debris
environment.
However,
despite guidelines requiring the satellites to deorbit within 25 years, some
are being launched into high Earth orbits, which means their orbital lifetime
could be much greater.
More
than a third of all CubeSats launched to-date (around 160 between 2003 and
2013) are predicted to remain on-orbit for more than 25 years. Since 2005,
CubeSats have been involved in more than 360,000 close approaches of less than
5 km with other orbiting objects.
Dr Lewis
says: "To reduce the risks, some effort is needed to engage with the
growing small satellite community. All space users, not just those in the
CubeSat community, who are taking the right steps should be encouraged to
continue and, ultimately, lead on sustainable practices and debris mitigation
activities.
"Those
who are not yet engaged with this approach should be encouraged to do so. It's
probably a matter of changing their perceptions of the risks and helping them
to understand that there is a collective responsibility to ensure that outer
space activities are sustainable so that future generations have the same
opportunities to use space as we do."
Dr Lewis
and his team used their Debris Analysis and Monitoring Architecture to the Geosynchronous
Environment (DAMAGE) model to simulate three future CubeSat launch traffic
scenarios until the year 2043. By comparing these with close approach data from
2005 to 2013, the team found CubeSats are estimated to be involved in millions
of close approaches over the next 30 years, with a handful leading to a
collision.
Analysis
of the close approaches found that most of the collision risk from CubeSats
comes from high-speed encounters with large spacecraft. In addition, many of
these encounters were in Sun-synchronous orbits that are popular with remote
sensing and Earth science satellites.
Dr Lewis
adds: "By far the greatest risk comes from those with long lifetimes at
altitudes of about 750 km. If CubeSats continue to be launched into long-lived
orbits without any means of disposing of them, then they will contribute to the
growing space debris hazard. This is not a responsible or sustainable practice,
in my view. However, if efforts are made to limit the lifetimes- as some are
already doing - then the risks will be reduced."
Fonte: Site http://www.spacedaily.com
Comentário: Bom leitor, eu creio que esta notícia seja de
grande interesse dos grupos que trabalham com projetos de cubesats no Brasil e
na América Latina.
Duda, isto só vem a confirmar a preocupação que demonstrei em meu comentário à matéria "Hundreds of Tiny Satellites Could Soon Deliver Free Internet Worldwide" de 24 fev 2014:
ResponderExcluirhttp://brazilianspace.blogspot.com.br/2014/02/hundreds-of-tiny-satellites-could-soon.html
Olá Paulo!
ExcluirAqui o problema não são os cubesats, e sim o lixo que já está em orbita. Os cubesats só ficarão em órbita por um tempo determinado, quando então (como já lhe disse), serão direcionados para serem destruídos na atmosfera. Só passa a ser um problema se algum desses cubesats for atingido, pois aí ele vira lixo espacial e deixa de cumprir a sua missão.
Abs
Duda Falcão
(Blog Brazilian Space)