The Resurs P1 Earth observation satellite, launched in 2013, was retired in 2022. Since then, it has been slowly losing altitude, as would be expected from a satellite that will sooner or later disintegrate in the atmosphere. Instead, on Wednesday, an organization called LeoLabs, which has made it its mission to track these types of satellites, Advertise That Resurs P1 has disintegrated.
The Russian Roscosmos agency did not provide an explanation for what happened, but the US Department of Defense, through its specialized agency (US Space Command) from him He confirmed the news Thursday, June 27.
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As always, this type of incident prompted precautionary measures – the nine astronauts aboard the International Space Station They were invited by NASA to travel. In a “safe zone” for an hour, that is, in the capsule that transported them to the station. As always, this type of accident brings to mind the disaster scenario called the “Kessler Syndrome”: in 1978, the American astrophysicist Donald Kessler imagined that one day, two planets would collide. Satellite debrisBy creating more debris, whose collisions will in turn create more debris, it will eventually make it impossible to occupy low orbits – those currently occupied by the majority of satellites, and the space station.
In recent years, SpaceX alone has added about 4,000 communications satellites to this constellation through its Starlink project (ultimately, there could be 12,000), with the goal of providing internet coverage to all regions of the planet.
According to one NASA estimatesThere will be 25,000 objects in orbit at least 10 centimeters wide, enough to punch a hole in a ship in a collision. And perhaps half a million objects between 1 and 10 centimeters in size.
