Satellite Collision: Debris to Remain Hazard for Years

Last February, the collision between two satellites created a mess in Earth orbit.

Lieutenant General Larry James, Commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space testified today before a Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

James provided an update on the collision between an inactive Russian Cosmos satellite and an operational Iridium commercial communications spacecraft.

“To date we have cataloged over 940 pieces of debris that resulted from the Iridium/Cosmos collision and there are likely thousands of smaller pieces our sensors can’t track,” James reported. He added that only 18 items of debris have reentered so far in written testimony.

The orbiting leftovers are expected to be circling Earth for decades, James added.

“This debris will slowly decay due to natural forces, but it will remain a hazard to manned and unmanned spaceflight in low Earth orbit, and to satellites transiting that region, for several years,” James explained.

By Leonard David