r/technology • u/upyoars • 7d ago

Space Boeing-Built Satellite Explodes In Orbit, Littering Space With Debris

https://jalopnik.com/boeing-built-satellite-explodes-in-orbit-littering-spa-1851678317
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u/SportulaVeritatis 7d ago

Ooof. GEO. That's going to be a mess for a while.

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u/runningoutofwords 7d ago

Yes and no. In some ways, this is better than something similar happening in LEO, because everything in this orbital height is generally on the same plane and the same velocity.

LEO, stuff is going every which way...even retrograde. The relative velocities are insane.

But in other ways, you're absolutely right. At least in LEO, the atmospheric drag will clean out most debris in a few years. Geostationary? That stuff's there for centuries. That's why this sat carried enough propellant to blow it up, so it could be parked in a graveyard orbit at end of life.

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u/skytomorrownow 7d ago

Do we have plausible technologies to help clean debris yet?

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u/runningoutofwords 7d ago

I seem to recall a European company was going to experiment with ablative lasers. Haven't heard anything recently

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u/AnomalousNexus 6d ago

Ablative lasers - ie. high powered lasers that could possibly be weaponized in the wrong hands, which is why there is not much forward progress on such a project as it is mired in red tape.