Clean Orbit Newsletter: Dec. 22, 2021
White House holds listening sessions for space debris R&D plan, ISS dodges debris from 90's Pegasus rocket, GAO recognizes opportunities to enhance annual space command and control reporting
Routine space operations create countless pieces of space junk that pose mission-critical risks to humanity’s future in space. At this crucial time for space exploration, utilization, and development, Clean Orbit is dedicated to mitigating the risks that could jeopardize safe access to space.
(GAO Report) Space Command and Control: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Annual Reporting
GAO |
“In recent years, the Department of Defense has recognized that potential adversaries may target its space assets during conflicts to diminish U.S. capabilities. The Space Command and Control (C2) program is the Air Force's latest software-intensive effort to develop a system that gathers data from space- and ground-based sensors and transmits these data to a data repository (see figure). Data are processed to enable commanders to make timely decisions, take action, and counter threats.
The Air Force's 2020 and 2021 Space C2 annual reports on program status addressed all eight of the required reporting elements outlined in statute, such as a description of changes to program metrics. However, the usefulness of these annual reports for oversight is limited because they lack information needed to provide a more complete picture of the status of the Space C2 program. For example, some short-term priorities for delivering capabilities differ between the two reports, and there is not enough information to determine the reasons for the changes. Given cost, schedule, and performance challenges faced by previous space command and control efforts, program oversight and knowledge-based decision-making would benefit from additional information, such as an explanation of significant changes from one report to the next.
Further, information in the annual reports related to return on investment could be enhanced by documenting user perspectives on the operational benefits associated with program efforts. For example, the 2021 report states that an application that automates radio frequency selection reduced processing time from days to minutes. However, including user perspectives on associated operational benefits of program efforts—such as organizational efficiencies or additional warfighting capabilities—would provide important information for understanding program value, enhance program oversight, and inform future investment decisions.”
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Schedules Orbital Debris Listening Sessions
“The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is organizing a series of virtual listening sessions to hear about ideas, issues, and potential solutions related to the problem of orbital debris from members of the public who have an interest or stake in orbital debris research and development. Perspectives gathered during the virtual listening sessions will inform the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Orbital Debris Research and Development Interagency Working Group (ODRAD IWG) as it develops a government-wide orbital debris implementation plan, examining R&D activities as well as other considerations such as policy levers, international engagements, and other ideas outside of R&D solutions that may help build a cohesive implementation strategy. The implementation plan is a continuation of work done for the National Orbital Debris Research and Development Plan (January 2021), which was a response to Space Policy Directive--3 (June 2018), directing the United States to lead the management of traffic and mitigate the effects of debris in space.”
DATES:
1. Orbital Debris Remediation: Thursday, January 13, 2022, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET
2. Orbital Debris Mitigation: Thursday, January 20, 2022, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET
Register for a virtual listening session using the session-specific links below:
Space station dodges space debris from decades-old Pegasus rocket
“On Friday (Dec. 3) at around 3 a.m. EST (0800 GMT), a Russian cargo ship docked to the International Space Station fired for a little under three minutes to lower the facility's orbit and ensure that it would pass safely by the debris, according to statements from NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday (Dec. 1), Roscosmos flagged the risk posed by the rocket fragment, which it said was estimated to pass as close as 3.4 miles (5.4 kilometers) to the space station.”
“According to a NASA statement, the debris dubbed object 39915, was created in 1996, when the upper stage of a Pegasus rocket that had launched two years prior broke up.”
We should shift the conversation about space to satellite debris
“According to a social listening analysis conducted by consultancy Point 600, there were 15.8 million mentions about “space” in social media conversations between November 11, 2020, and November 11, 2021.
However, just about 1 percent, of those online conversations were about “space junk.” Only 4,379 specifically mentioned the emerging term, “space environmentalism.” That’s just 0.03 percent of all online space conversations in the past year.”
“We’ll never forget a quote from Bezos upon his return to Earth last summer: "... we need to take all heavy industry, all polluting industry and move it into space, and keep Earth as this beautiful gem of a planet that it is."
That comment only provided rocket fuel to our quest to prevent space from continuing to be Earth’s unregulated dumping ground. We’re setting out to get people everywhere to talk about space environmentalism via a 360° immersive docuseries called “Shifted Space.”
“It’s time we do something about sustainability, safety and security in space, and we can start by getting people and government leaders globally to talk about the problem. We seek to recruit empathy across humanity and persuade everyone to embrace stewardship as if our lives depend on it. This stewardship must be extended to the very space environment from which many businesses profit.”
'Satellite killers' spark chilling warning over untraceable space debris in earth's orbit
“Dan Ceperley is the founder and CEO of LeoLabs, a US-based start-up that maps debris in space, he has warned that the amount of junk floating in Earth's orbit poses a serious and widely unrecognised risk. He told Express.co.uk that hundreds of thousands of pieces of old satellites, missiles and rockets each hold the potential to trigger a "catastrophic collision" in Earth's orbit.”
“Space is becoming more contested and what Russia did was against the existing space treaties.
“Our critical national infrastructure is dependent on the space environment. We have to protect our assets and look at this sort of behaviour.
“It is going to require a lot of diplomacy to ensure space is used responsibly."
"There's good scientific estimates saying that there's a few 100,000 pieces of even smaller debris down to two centimetres in size, that are lethal to satellites and are not tracked today.”
"There's enough kinetic energy in something small like that if it hits a satellite it can actually shatter the satellite create a cloud of debris. So that means 95 per cent of this catastrophic collision risk is untracked."
The Clean Orbit Team thanks our GEO Patron: Zoena Howland for supporting our mission to keep humanity’s use of the space environment safe and sustainable. If you’d like to join this mission and help make a difference as part of our community, consider subscribing to us on Patreon!
Clean Orbit advocates for proactive, sustainable solutions to the growing threat of space debris in low earth orbit. Follow our newsletter for the latest developments in Space Traffic Management (STM), Active Debris Removal (ADR), and orbital close calls.