Orbital debris: a growing threat to space operations

Abstract

The man–made orbital debris population is growing rapidly, dominating the meteoroid environment in all but the micrometre size range. Of most concern are objects between 1 cm and 10 cm, referred to as the lethal population as they cannot be tracked or catalogued and can cause catastrophic damage when colliding with a satellite. In order to address this problem, a series of mitigation measures have been identified to protect spacecraft from the existing debris population, and to minimize the future growth of objects in orbit. This paper outlines the current status of the environment and discusses some of the measures proposed.