A network of microwave satellites in low Earth orbit could be useful in solving the problems of our planet’s increasingly complex environment, according to new research. More than 27,000 pieces of space debris are currently tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network, and some estimates suggest that more than 170 million other smaller pieces of debris cannot be tracked and are at risk of collision.

So how can more satellites help in this already crowded space? The eight proposed satellites will carry advanced scientific data collection instruments that will help scientists accurately predict and therefore prevent debris collisions. That plan is outlined in a mission concept called ROARS (short for Revealing Orbital and Atmospheric Responses to Solar Activity) published this month.

“The innovation of multiple incidental measurements from a swarm of satellites will increase space situational awareness in a congested space environment,” said Robert Watson, a senior lecturer at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom who is involved in the new mission. expression.

Scientists say the ability to predict satellite collisions depends in part on understanding how Earth’s upper atmosphere affects satellites in orbit. This effect is further amplified by solar activity and space weather, two parameters that the new mission is trying to better understand. For example, in early 2022, SpaceX’s Starlink lost 40 satellites during solar storms. These storms heated the Earth’s atmosphere, causing it to expand, thus increasing the friction on the satellites.

To better understand these effects, the new mission, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) for $105,685 (€100,000), will be equipped with instruments such as magnetic field sensors. According to ESA’s statement, Radar, laser and optical observations will also be collected to collect the “first coordinated measurements” in low Earth orbit.

Although various ideas for tracking and dealing with space debris have been around for a decade, investment in such concepts has only just begun. Experts say the momentum should continue, especially as the uncertainty of collisions in low Earth orbit increases with each new satellite placed there.

One such major collision occurred in 2009 when one of the Iridium Satellites was destroyed in a collision with a Russian satellite, resulting in hundreds of fragments. Don Pollacco, a professor at the University of Warwick who is also part of the new mission, said earlier that the next such engagement “is not a matter of if, but when.” week. “It is important that we act now before it is too late and many orbits become unusable.”

According to the statement made by ESA, the mission concept started to take shape in mid-September this year and is expected to be completed within a year. Source