An object collided with a satellite in Earth orbit, causing a hole.
It highlights the importance of conducting space operations responsibly.
Recently, the space company NanoAvionics observed a small hole in its MP42 satellite, caused by the impact of an unknown object traveling at thousands of miles per hour. The company shared online images showing the damage to the satellite, which was launched in 2022 and designed to house various instruments for different clients.
The origin of this object, which was about the size of a chickpea, is unclear. However, the incident highlights the growing risk faced by satellites in orbit around the Earth. The company stated that "whether this impact was caused by a micrometeoroid or a piece of space debris, the collision emphasizes the need for responsible operations in space and makes us reflect on the resilience of satellites to these events."
While natural impacts from small meteoroids are inevitable in our solar system, which is abundant in asteroids, both space agencies and companies are concerned about the proliferation of human-generated space debris. This not only endangers everyone's interests but could also trigger a domino effect of escalating space collisions known as the Kessler effect.
Fortunately, the impact on the MP42 satellite did not contribute to a space debris problem, but it did leave a six-millimeter hole in one of its solar panels. NanoAvionics also highlighted that it has joined the European Space Agency's Zero Space Waste Charter, which aims to drastically reduce the creation of new space debris by 2030. The agency emphasized that "a collision with a 1 cm particle traveling at 10 km/s (of which there are nearly a million in orbit) releases the same energy as a small car crashing at 40 km/h."
By participating in this initiative, NanoAvionics commits to operating responsibly, which involves deorbiting defunct spacecraft so they disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere, where they will mostly burn up. Additionally, this means designing spacecraft that do not deliberately release space debris, actively monitoring for potential collisions, and, of course, discouraging the irresponsible destruction of spacecraft.
Currently, a significant amount of uncontrolled orbital debris fills a region of space known as Low Earth Orbit (LEO). NASA described this area as "a graveyard of space junk," where millions of fragments, primarily generated by humans, can be found, including pieces of spacecraft, small paint flecks, parts of rockets, and non-functional satellites.
