Too close for comfort... π³
Two large, defunct objects in #LEO narrowly missed each other this morning β an SL-8 rocket body (16511) and Cosmos 2361 (25590) passed by one another at an altitude of 984km. πβ οΈ #SpaceDebris
Two large, defunct objects in #LEO narrowly missed each other this morning β an SL-8 rocket body (16511) and Cosmos 2361 (25590) passed by one another at an altitude of 984km. πβ οΈ #SpaceDebris
1/ Based on our radar tracking data, we computed a miss distance of only 6 meters with an error margin of only a few tens of meters.
2/ It's important to note that this conjunction occurred in one of the "bad neighborhoods" we've talked about before: 950 - 1050 km. ποΈ
3/ This region has significant debris-generating potential in #LEO due to a mix of breakup events and abandoned derelict objects. π°οΈππͺ¨
4/ In particular, this region is host to ~160 SL-8 rocket bodies along with their ~160 payloads deployed over 20 years ago. ππ°οΈ
*There were 1,400 high-PC conjunctions involving these rocket bodies between June - September 2022 alone.
*There were 1,400 high-PC conjunctions involving these rocket bodies between June - September 2022 alone.
6/ Why's this a big deal? π€
We've identified this kind of collision β between two massive derelict objects β as a "worst-case scenario" because it's largely out of our control and would likely result in a ripple effect of dangerous collisional encounters.
We've identified this kind of collision β between two massive derelict objects β as a "worst-case scenario" because it's largely out of our control and would likely result in a ripple effect of dangerous collisional encounters.
7/ Had the SL-8 rocket body and Cosmos 2361 collided, it likely would've resulted in thousands of new debris fragments that would have persisted for decades.
7/ It's imperative that we not only focus on collision avoidance but also debris mitigation and debris remediation to combat #SpaceDebris. This requires investing in debris removal technologies and missions. π§ΉποΈ
8/ βοΈ For more information on combatting #SpaceDebris, read (or listen) to @MattShouppe's piece on the best practices to cleaning up #space.
blog.leolabs.space/leopulse/pillaβ¦
blog.leolabs.space/leopulse/pillaβ¦
9/ To learn more about potential disasters in #LEO, including "dead object on dead object collisions," check out Dan Ceperley's guide. #SpaceDebris
blog.leolabs.space/leopulse/guideβ¦
blog.leolabs.space/leopulse/guideβ¦
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