Humanity Trapped on Earth Due to Space Debris?[Reading Science]

US NASA Conducted Emergency ISS Avoidance Maneuver on 24th
Aftermath of Russian Satellite Interceptor Missile Test in November Last Year
Concerns Over 'Kessler Syndrome' Becoming Reality Intensify

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The 2013 American film "Gravity" depicts the hardships faced by protagonists aboard the International Space Station (ISS) when attacked by space debris. The 2021 Korean film Space Sweepers portrays humanity surviving in Earth's orbit filled with space debris.

These are representative examples of the so-called "Kessler Syndrome." The Kessler Syndrome was introduced in a 1978 paper by Donald Kessler, a scientist at NASA. As satellite launches increase, if satellites collide, the resulting debris can cause a chain reaction destroying more satellites and exponentially increasing space debris. Eventually, this debris could surround Earth's orbit entirely, making human space exploration and orbital activities impossible.

Recently, scientists have expressed growing concerns that the Kessler Syndrome is becoming a reality. A notable example is the ISS conducting its second avoidance maneuver to dodge space debris generated by Russia's anti-satellite missile (ASAT) test conducted in November last year.

On the 24th at around 8:25 PM (Eastern Time), NASA's ISS operations team ignited the thrusters of Russia's Progress 81 cargo spacecraft docked to the station for 5 minutes and 5 seconds to perform an avoidance maneuver. As a result, the ISS orbit was raised by a minimum of 0.32 km and a maximum of 1.3 km from Earth. This maneuver was taken to secure the ISS's safety in anticipation of approaching space debris generated after Russia destroyed its satellite Cosmos 1408 during an anti-satellite missile test on November 15, 2021. This is the second avoidance maneuver conducted due to debris from the Russian ASAT test, following one in June. Immediately after the test, the ISS took emergency safety measures, including evacuating astronauts to shelters.

Space debris is increasingly becoming a serious problem. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are over 36,500 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm, over 1 million pieces between 1 and 10 cm, and approximately 330 million pieces between 1 cm and 1 mm orbiting Earth. Traveling at speeds exceeding 7 km/s, even small debris can cause significant damage to satellites.

In particular, the ISS conducted 29 debris avoidance maneuvers between 1999 and 2021, with three maneuvers in 2020 alone, showing an increasing trend.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the United States criticized Russia's anti-satellite test and is pushing for an international ban agreement to prevent the spread of space debris. Currently, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and South Korea have agreed to this initiative.