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Some possible reasons: * Lots of space junk is very small (e.g. paint flecks and metal chips) and we don’t know exactly where it is (but even objects of this s
by jl6 6y ago
Some possible reasons:
* Lots of space junk is very small (e.g. paint flecks and metal chips) and we don’t know exactly where it is (but even objects of this small size can still be hazardous travelling at 5km/s).
* When we do know where it is, it’s probably still uneconomic to spend delta-V getting to it and pushing it anywhere.
* Potentially unknown payloads on old satellites, or uncertain ownership status. Russia might have opinions on someone else touching its junk.
* Proliferation risk of developing technology that can easily interfere with satellites on-demand. If a satellite mover can move junk, it can move live units too.
* Actual risk of error causing uncontrolled deorbiting, either with a mis-push, or by bouncing junk off the growing moon-like mass
* That moon-like mass could easily become a liability - irregularly shaped with hard-to-model behaviour. Most space junk will burn up on reentry, but a giant agglomeration of metal might survive reentry and land on something it shouldn’t.
- dylan604 6y ago* When we do know where it is, it’s probably still uneconomic to spend delta-V getting to it and pushing it anywhere. Do we need to spend delta-V? We can use a friggin' laser, or a giant magnet, or or or. Typically, we'd just need to slow it down so that it just re-enters the atmosphere. * Proliferation risk of developing technology that can easily interfere with satellites on-demand. If a satellite mover can move junk, it can move live units too. Like anything else, actions have consequences. To be able to make something like this, they'd have to be a pretty decent player in the space realm. If all of the other players quit playing with you because you break all of the rules, the game gets lonely.