COLLIDING SPACE JUNK MAKES ‘NOISE’ THAT COULD BE HEARD FROM EARTH
It could help researchers keep tabs on the growing cloud of orbital debris
Reported by Tereza Pultarova
Orbital smash-ups cause tiny pieces of space junk to emit signals that could be detected from Earth, a new study has found. Space junk is a growing problem. As of November 2023, the world’s space surveillance networks were tracking about 35,610 pieces of space debris larger than ten centimetres (four inches). That stuff is old satellites, used rocket stages and fragments spawned in orbital collisions and explosions. These tracked objects are just the tip of the iceberg, however. About a million fragments between one and ten centimetres (0.4 inches and 4.0 inches) in size are believed to hurtle around Earth at enormous speeds. The estimated number of fragments in orbit that are smaller than this is 130 million. These bits are mostly invisible to current debris-tracking methods, such as ground-based radars and optical telescopes. Yet they pack enough power to destroy or seriously damage operating satellites if they hit them.