The graphics below are computer-generated images of objects in low Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. The orbital debris points are scaled according to the image size of the graphic to optimize their visibility and are not scaled to Earth. (Courtesy: NASA ODPO)
A “worst-case scenario” was thwarted on Friday when two large pieces of space junk narrowly missed each other, they say LeoLabs.
LeoLabs said the debris contained the defunct satellite Cosmos 2361 and an SL-8 rocket body, which are two of countless pieces of space junk currently in low Earth orbit.
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Therefore OURObjects in low Earth orbit (or LEO) include objects orbiting our planet at an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 km) or less.
On Friday, Cosmos 2381 and the SL-8 rocket body nearly collided at an altitude of about 611 miles (984 km).
An image showing how two large, defunct objects in LEO narrowly missed each other on January 27, 2023. Each line represents the orbits of a SL-8 rocket body (16511) and a Cosmos 2361 (25590) satellite.
(LeoLabs / https://leolabs.space / FOX Weather)
LeoLabs found that the two pieces of space junk missed each other by about 20 feet, with an error margin of only a few tens of meters.
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“We have identified this type of collision – between two massive decaying objects – as a ‘worst case scenario’ because it is largely beyond our control and would likely result in a ripple effect of dangerous collisions,” said LeoLabs in a tweet.
They said that if the Cosmos 2381 and SL-8 rocket body had collided, the collision would have resulted in thousands of new debris fragments that would have lingered for decades.
Telescopes have helped people see a universe beyond our world and find ways to explore it.
This near-miss is significant because it shows how much space debris is floating around in low-Earth orbit.
According to LeoLabs, this is one layer of LEO only about 62 miles thick contains an estimated 160 SL-8 missile bodies along with their 160 payloads deployed over 20 years ago.
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This “bad neighborhood” in LEO, according to LeoLabs, lies between 950 and 1050 km elevation and continues to be a hotspot for debris collisions.
Astronaut Randy Bresnik takes part in a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The ISS is in low Earth orbit.
(NASA)
Those collisions and near misses in LEO stick in the minds of many.
Because in addition to being populated with defunct space junk, the LEO region is also considered an area close enough to Earth for convenient transportation, communications, observation, and resupply, according to NASA.
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In fact, LEO is where the International Space Station currently orbited and where many proposed future platforms will be located.
