SWEEP: Solar sailing towards a sustainable future in Earth orbit
The accumulation of space debris in Earth's orbit poses a significant threat to satellites and critical infrastructure, raising concerns about the Kessler Syndrome. Researchers are exploring active debris removal technologies, such as solar sailing, to mitigate these risks.
Why it matters
As modern society becomes increasingly dependent on satellite-based services like GPS and telecommunications, maintaining a clear orbital environment is essential for global infrastructure.
‘There’s a problem brewing overhead.’ Few phrases capture the urgency of the space debris issue as effectively as this statement from the European Space Agency. Earth orbit, once an expansive and relatively empty domain, has become increasingly congested over the past decades. Today, more than 40,000 tracked objects larger than ten centimetres share orbital space with operational satellites, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of smaller fragments. These objects travel at orbital velocities of around 7 km/s, roughly 25,000 km/h, meaning that even a tiny fragment can cause catastrophic damage upon impact.
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