Space Junk on Defense Department’s RadarJune 15, 2009

 

Earth's orbit is littered with about 19,000 bits of debris and junk larger than a softball, and traveling at nearly 16,000 miles per hour. That endangers manned missions to space and military, commercial and scientific satellites. There are also about 300,000 penny-sized objects hurtling through Earth's orbit capable of fatally damaging a Space Shuttle.

This growing junk must be tracked more efficiently or cleaned up in order to avoid collisions with critical missions, two speakers noted during a symposium on Capitol Hill sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association. Paul Graziani, the chief executive officer of Analytical Graphics, Inc., said that the ability to track these objects in Earth's low orbit is critical and the tracking infrastructure must be improved. Analytical Graphics, based in Exton, Pa., produces graphics software to track objects in orbit.

He noted that the United States currently has radar systems that can track the location of objects to an accuracy of just several hundred meters, according to an article in The Space Review. Existing radar systems have several other limitations: They cannot track objects smaller than a softball and there is no coverage over Earth's southern hemisphere. Graziani also noted the sensors in the tracking systems are increasingly worn out and outdated.

To improve the tracking system, Graziani recommends developing better sensors and increasing the number of them in operation. He also recommends collaborating with satellite operators and other countries that can provide data on the locations of their satellites.

The second speaker, Andrew Palowitch, is director of the newly created Space Protection Program, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office.

One of his first efforts at the Space Protection Program was to compile a list of critical satellite systems, which totaled 350 satellites. The list included U.S., allied military and intelligence satellites, and commercial and scientific units. He noted that over 95% of the Defense Department's (DoD) international communications is transmitted over commercial systems.

Palowitch said the strategy for managing space debris until recently was to refrain from releasing any junk in the first place. But that strategy is no longer viable, especially in the face of China's 2007 anti-satellite test, which destroyed a satellite with a missile and created nearly 3,000 bits of debris.

In addition to creating better sensors and more effective tracking systems, an additional focus must be to clean up existing debris now presenting an increasing danger to U.S. missions, he said.

Palowitch’s office is sponsoring a study by several aerospace contractors on how to clean up the orbital debris in the 500-to-600-mile range above Earth, notes The Space Review article.

Sufficient funding for cleanup projects, however, might be difficult to secure given the DoD’s budget challenges. Palowitch said that while Congress has provided $3.2 billion in general funding over the past year, the money comes after several years of declining support and increases are unlikely soon. Even with funding, the project faces technological hurdles — notably developing an effective system to clean up the orbiting space junk. It is also understood that to be successful, the U.S. must internationalize the cleanup effort.

Still, government recognition of the problem is growing. Palowitch noted President Obama has signed Study Directive #3, which calls for a review of the National Space Policy. In addition, the DoD is launching a “Space Posture Review” and is conducting its Quadrennial Defense Review.