The Belgian company Arcsec has developed a technology to detect small pieces of space debris that cannot be detected by terrestrial radars due to their size. The initiative has created small orbital tracking satellites that will fix the position of potentially dangerous objects up to 3 cm in size. informs space.com.
As man’s exploration of near-Earth space progresses, the problem of space debris becomes more serious. According to the European Space Agency, there are more than 34.6 thousand particles larger than 10 cm in diameter, approximately 1 million particles 1-10 cm in size, and more than 130 million particles less than 1 cm in diameter in orbit around the Earth.
Despite their modest size, these objects can be very dangerous. In 2016, a few centimeters of debris punctured a 40-centimeter hole in the solar panel of the European tracking satellite Sentinel-1.
Belgian mini-satellites are equipped with optical sensors that detect flying debris. The system can analyze an object’s trajectory and transmit information about them to Earth and other spacecraft.
The first Arcsec space tracker will launch into space in early 2024.
Earlier astronomers reportedA former Soviet satellite of the Kosmos series launched in 1991 crashed when it collided with space debris in orbit.