(ORDO NEWS) — Southampton researchers have developed the world‘s first reliable method for estimating the cost and mass of space debris.
According to new research from the University of Southampton, the circular economy of space removing space debris and reusing or recycling it is a real opportunity to secure the future of satellites and space exploration.
The study estimates that there are billions, potentially trillions of dollars worth of recyclable materials in Earth‘s orbit in the form of space debris.
Space debris is a form of pollution that poses a threat to the future of space exploration and satellites, which we rely heavily on here on Earth.
As of January 2021, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network has reported 21,901 artificial objects in orbit around the Earth, including nearly 4,500 operational satellites.
But these are just objects large enough to be tracked.
It is also estimated that there are more than 128 million fragments smaller than 1 cm, more than 900,000 fragments between 1 cm and 10 cm, and 34,000 fragments larger than 10 cm.
Jan Williams, professor of applied environmental sciences, and M. Ryan Leonard
developed a method for estimating the cost and mass of orbital debris, which is an example of a circular economy.
“If the financial value of extracting space debris is high enough, the investment in technology to do so is worth it,” Professor Williams said.
Through their research, Williams and Ryan estimated that space debris could have a net worth of between $570 billion and $1.2 trillion. This is somewhere between 5,312 and 19,124 tons of scrap metal.
Professor Williams added: “The development of in-orbit services, such as extending the life of inactive satellites or improving active debris removal techniques, will be critical to addressing the orbital debris problem.
But in doing so, the future circular economy for space could be financially viable, with potentially beneficial implications for risk mitigation, resource efficiency, additional high-performance employment, and climate change science, monitoring, and early warning data.”
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