Kessler syndrome, also known as the Kessler effect, is a chain reaction of collisions in Earth’s orbit around 2,000 kilometers above our planet. This would render Earth without crucial communication devices, such as WiFi, television broadcasting, and working phones. The potential catastrophic outcome could dramatically impact every sector of our modern society, including finance, healthcare, and national security.
Within Earth’s low orbit, tens of thousands of active and inactive satellites, as well as debris from explosions, collisions, and antiquated spacecraft, create a hazard in the forms of small particles. These particles average only about the size of a marble, but at the high speeds of around 28,160 kilometers per hour in their orbit, a collision can cause massive damage.
The United States Space Surveillance Network currently tracks more than 22,000 objects larger than 10 cm in Earth’s orbit, while a study published by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimates the number of smaller fragments at 500,000.
A significant collision can escalate to millions of pieces of new debris caused by the force required to break up larger objects and create smaller objectsm. This phenomenon, known as the Kessler syndrome, would make Low Earth Orbit increasingly unconquerable. With hundreds of new satellites being launched for the burgeoning space industry, the likelihood of such a chain reaction only increases.
This dark scenario would severely disrupt communication satellites, impacting daily life on earth. Besides the incessant calls for new TV show episodes or social media updates, communication satellites are indispensable for financial transactions, medical telemetry, GPS navigation, weather forecasts and disaster monitoring.
Simply not witnessing the devastating aftermath of the Kessler effect is no evidence of a preventive measure. Satellite operators and space agencies worldwide must pay closer attention to the risks in orbit and collaborate on environment management for sustainable space activities. The discussion and implementation of safety standards, guidelines, and potential trash removal systems are vital themes in these early efforts to prevent a global disaster.
