{"id":15531,"date":"2024-08-22T14:31:34","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1409555"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:31:34","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:31:34","slug":"space-collisions-are-a-growing-threat-europes-techies-want-to-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15531","title":{"rendered":"Space collisions are a growing threat. Europe\u2019s techies want to help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Space has become a crowded place. Astronomers estimate<\/a> that over 10,000 active satellites were in orbit last month \u2014 four times as many as just five years ago.<\/p>\n

The surge in launches has ignited excitement about a new space race. But the cosmic traffic may be heading for a catastrophic crash.<\/p>\n

Back on Earth, the UK\u2019s Space Operations Centre is tracking the threats with growing alarm. In July alone, the centre warned British satellite operators of 1,795 collision risks. Across the previous six months, almost 12,000 alerts were sent.<\/p>\n

Yet not every accident can be averted. In 2021, a Chinese military satellite was damaged by a chunk of Russian rocket. In March, a piece of space junk smashed through a Florida roof<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With satellite constellations proliferating, the threat of further accidents is increasing. That\u2019s given spacetech startups<\/a> a new focus: collision avoidance.<\/p>\n

Europe has become fertile ground for their plans.<\/p>\n

How to avoid space collisions<\/h2>\n

Several startups have turned their attentions to space junk. <\/span><\/p>\n

Over 130 <\/a>million lumps of trash are currently hurtling around Earth at speeds of up to 15km per second. If one of them hits a satellite, the impact can be devastating. <\/span><\/p>\n

Spacetech offers an array of ways to tidy up the mess.<\/p>\n

Swiss startup ClearSpace wants to use a litter-picking robot. The company has signed a contract<\/a> with French rocket giant Arianespace for the debut mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Norway\u2019s Solstorm<\/a> has an entirely different idea: harnessing solar wind energy to deorbit the junk. The startup also offers collision detection.<\/p>\n

Spanish startup IENAI has another propulsion plan. The company harnesses electrospray thrusters<\/a> to avoid collisions and de-orbit defunct satellites.<\/p>\n

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ClearSpace aims to complete the first-ever removal of space debris from orbit in 2025. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption>