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>Collisions in LEO launch debris in all orbits, they are not limited to LEO. How often? You'd need a pretty lucky collision to knock something into a higher st
by marcinzm 5y ago
>Collisions in LEO launch debris in all orbits, they are not limited to LEO.
How often? You'd need a pretty lucky collision to knock something into a higher stable circular orbit.
- tsimionescu 5y agoAny collision has a chance to knock things at orbital speeds in any direction. Anything launched away from the earth will be flung towards other orbits at something close to the 28,000km/h speeds of LEO. Here is an article in Nature [0] discussing other risks, and mentioning that LEO is already in the early stages of Kessler Syndrome, while SpaceX alone is seeking to launch as many extra satellites as there are tracked pieces of debris already in orbit, with several other companies having similar plans. They also mention that debris in one orbit can cross to other orbits. [0] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89909-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89909-7
- marcinzm 5y agoThe links says that 3 pieces of debris attained higher stable orbits (ie: were still around 1-2 years later). There were 400 pieces of debris altogether. So not a large percentage.
- tsimionescu 5y agoSure, but there also haven't yet been any major collisions in orbit. The risk will increase greatly if the huge number of satellites they proposed ever happens.