4300 tonnes of space junk and rising: Another satellite breakup adds to orbital debris woes

4300 tonnes of space junk and rising: Another satellite breakup adds to orbital debris woes

Sub: Sci

Sec: Space sector

Context:

• A major communications satellite, Intelsat 33e, has broken up in orbit, impacting users in Europe, Central Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, while adding to the growing amount of space debris.

Details about Intelsat 33e:

• Launched in August 2016 by Boeing.
• Operated in geostationary orbit, 35,000 km above the Indian Ocean.
• Experienced significant technical problems since 2017, including issues with its primary thruster and fuel consumption, leading to an insurance claim of $78 million.
• It was not insured at the time of its breakup, which occurred after a sudden power loss on October 20, 2024.

Breakup Confirmation:

• U.S. Space Forces confirmed the satellite broke into at least 20 pieces.
• No confirmed cause for the breakup yet, though it could be due to past technical issues or external factors like collisions or solar activity.

Space Debris Concerns:

• The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates there are over 40,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm and 130 million smaller than 1 cm orbiting Earth.
• Total mass of human-made objects in orbit is about 13,000 tonnes, one-third of which is debris.
• Intelsat 33e’s breakup likely produced debris too small to track, adding to the growing concern over space junk.

Recent Similar Incidents:

• June 2024: RESURS-P1 satellite fractured, producing over 100 trackable pieces.
• July 2024: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) 5D-2 F8 spacecraft broke up.
• August 2024: Upper stage of a Long March 6A rocket fragmented, generating over 283 trackable debris pieces.

Responsibility for Space Debris:

• According to the 1972 Convention of International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, the launching country is responsible for debris.
• In practice, accountability is often lacking. The U.S. issued its first fine for space debris in 2023, though it’s unclear if similar action will follow for Intelsat 33e.

1972 Convention of International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (Liability Convention):

• The Liability Convention was considered and negotiated by the Legal subcommittee from 1963 to 1972.
• Agreement was reached in the General Assembly in 1971, and the Convention entered into force in September 1972.
• As of 1 January 2021, 98 States have ratified the Liability Convention, 19 have signed but not ratified and four international intergovernmental organizations (the European Space Agency, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications, and the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization) have declared their acceptance of the rights and obligations provided for in the Agreement.
• India has signed and ratified the convention.
• Key provisions:
  • Elaborating on Article 7 of the Outer Space Treaty, the Liability Convention provides that a launching State shall be absolutely liable to pay compensation for damage caused by its space objects on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft, and liable for damage due to its faults in space.
  • The Convention also provides for procedures for the settlement of claims for damages.
  • If two states work together to launch a space object, then both of those states are jointly and severally liable for the damage that object causes. This means that the injured party can sue either of the two states for the full amount of damage.
  • Claims under the Liability Convention must be brought by the state against a state.

Source: DTE