// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Orbital Debris
Any human-made object in orbit around Earth that no longer serves a useful purpose, ranging from defunct satellites to tiny fragments of rockets.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Orbital Debris, also known as space junk, refers to any non-functional, human-made object in Earth orbit, including spent rocket stages, defunct satellites, and fragments from collisions or explosions, posing a significant collision risk to operational spacecraft and future space missions.
BACKGROUND
Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies. It contains ultra-low levels of particle densities, constituting a near-perfect vacuum of predominantly hydrogen and helium plasma, permeated by electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays, neutrinos, magnetic fields and dust. The baseline temperature of outer space, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvins.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Space junk
- space debris
- orbital trash
- defunct satellites
USAGE NOTE
Orbital debris is a growing threat to the sustainability of space operations, necessitating mitigation strategies.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Orbital Debris.
A Japanese company with a global presence, specializing in in-orbit services and active debris removal technologies, including life extension, end-of-life services, and debris removal missions like ELSA-d.
A Swiss startup that was awarded the European Space Agency's (ESA) contract for the ClearSpace-1 mission, a demonstrator for active debris removal of a spent rocket upper stage.
Dedicated office within ESA focusing on the space debris environment, conducting research on debris mitigation, tracking, and removal technologies, and implementing debris-related policies.
A United States government agency program dedicated to addressing the orbital debris problem through research, risk assessment, modeling, tracking, and the development of mitigation guidelines.
A commercial company that provides high-resolution radar tracking and space situational awareness (SSA) services, essential for monitoring and mapping orbital debris and preventing collisions.
A Canadian company developing and launching a constellation of satellites to provide unprecedented space situational awareness (SSA) and space domain awareness (SDA) services, including precise tracking of orbital debris.
An Italian company that offers in-orbit servicing, logistics, and debris mitigation solutions, including the ION Satellite Carrier for deployment and deorbiting capabilities to reduce space debris.
A company providing advanced space situational awareness (SSA) and space domain awareness (SDA) solutions, offering critical data, analysis, and insights for tracking orbital objects and managing collision risks with debris.