Whether humanity will one day find a “Planet B” is uncertain. But it is clear that he is managing to pollute it even before he gets there. The concepts of cosmic exploration and interplanetary travel no longer belong to science fiction. Companies like SpaceX and Axiom have made space tourism a reality, and there is growing concern about the impact humanity has already had on the environment it would like to analyze.
As private companies’ commercial programs expand and Earth’s orbit becomes crowded, the risk of collisions between satellites and space fragments increases. Enrico Ferroneengineer and president of Space Exploration Commissionexplains: «In a few years, we could have traffic problems even in space with the risk of collisions. Pollution and space fragments could destroy our satellites, then falling back onto the Earth and into the seas, which cover three-quarters of our planet and feed us.” This scenario of saturation of the Earth’s orbit becomes alarming.
NASA estimates that there are currently about 23,000 objects larger than a baseball orbiting the Earth, as well as half a million pieces measuring between 1 and 10 cm, and as many as 100 million fragments smaller than 10 mm. . This problem includes decommissioned satellites, scrap and debris from space launches from 1960 to the present.
The US Space Force has urged private industry to find solutions to address the problem of space pollution. There NASAfor its part, has already started a system for cataloging space objects, classifying them based on their size and risk levels. This is supported by a specific program called Orbital Debris Program Office.
NASA has already started a program to catalog space objects, classifying them based on their size and the risks they pose. However, in a context of private competition in space exploration, the problem of orbital pollution risks compromising the very safety of future operations.
Elon Musk and the future of space politics
«In this context the richest man in the world, Elon Muskplays a central role”, states Ferrone. The SpaceX founder has turned his vision of space colonization into a concrete project, but his political positions have often changed drastically. In the past very close to Obama, Musk recently financed Donald Trump’s election campaign, becoming a point of reference for American space policy. A few weeks after Tycoon’s return to the helm of the USA there is concern for the future of space programs, including Artemiswhich aims to return man to the Moon.
Ferrone continues, reflecting on Musk’s position: «He is a man who considers every failure an opportunity to improve. We hope he is right, but when the first human being loses his life in space, perhaps he will revise his positions.”
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