10th May 2021 12:11 pm
Dealing with the growing problem of space debris is vital for the continuation of the satellite industry and crewed spaceflight. Andrew Wade reports.
Satellite technology has come a long way since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, its simple, hypnotic radio signal belying the monumental changes it would herald. In the intervening years, Earth’s inhabitants have come to rely on satellites for everything from TV broadcasting and GPS to weather forecasting and monitoring climate change.
Astroscale’s ELSA-d space debris removal satellite
Naturally, this dependence has led to proliferation, and the skies above have become ever more densely packed with chunks of metal orbiting the planet at enormous speeds. Sometimes, they collide. One of the biggest orbital impacts to date took place in 2009 when the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-2251 collided with Iridium 33. The relative speed of impact was estimated at 11.7 km/s or about 42,120 km/h, tw
NSR Report: In-Orbit Satellite Servicing and Space Situational Awareness Represent a $6.2 Billion Opportunity
GEO Life Extension and LEO De-Orbiting Drive Revenue, while Active Debris Removal and Space Situational Awareness Expand Market
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) NSR’s
In-Orbit Servicing & Space Situational Awareness Markets, 4
th Edition (IOSM4)
report, released today, forecasts In-Orbit Satellite services (IoS) cumulative revenues of $6.2 billion by 2030. While growth is anticipated across all applications, GEO Satellite Life Extension is expected to generate the largest portion of revenues due to the sheer number of satellites expected to use this service.
NSR’s
IoSM4 also sees growth in satellite constellations greatly increasing the addressable market in Non-GEO, where services will focus mostly on De-Orbiting and Space Situational Awareness (SSA). NSR’s latest report forecasts both ground and space based SSA revenues to represent a cum