Monitoring solar storms will help prevent the amount of space debris from increasing. British scientists from the University of Bath came to this conclusion. The study was published on: Web site scientific institution.
The ability to predict satellite failures and collisions depends largely on understanding how the Earth’s upper atmosphere affects the movement of satellites, experts say. This effect increases during solar activity.
For example, at the beginning of 2022, SpaceX’s Starlink network lost 40 devices during magnetic storms. Solar storms heated the atmosphere, causing it to expand and increasing friction on the moons.
According to the report, the current space surveillance network tracks more than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris, but there are also more than 170 million smaller objects that cannot be recorded. Small debris often results from explosions or collisions between decommissioned missiles and other equipment.
A consortium of 26 institutions from nine countries, led by the University of Bath, has developed a project to tackle the problem of space debris, which involves launching a specialized satellite constellation to track the movement of debris and observe space weather. According to scientists, a network of small orbiters will allow monitoring the situation in orbit and monitoring changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, warning satellite operators in advance of dangerous situations.
Earlier in the USA for the first time in history appointed Good for space debris.