To the Moon: Sustainability in Space and Why It Matters

We are in the midst of another space race. But this one isn’t between the U.S and Russia: it’s between billionaires. On Monday, July 12, Richard Branson made it to the edge of space with five other people in his rocket, operated by Virgin Galactic. And on July 20, Jeffrey Bezos will do the same. 

This advancement is as ominous as it is amazing. A physical divide has been created between the majority of the population and the tiny percentage that can afford to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. This is undeniably a step forward technologically, and it is very likely that space travel will bring new discoveries and much-needed attention to critical issues — including space debris.

What Do You Call Garbage in Space? 

Space debris can range from minuscule objects to full-sized satellites. Since Russia put the first satellite into space in 1957, we have not stopped launching technology into orbit. One object classified as space debris is satellites that are no longer operational or have outlived their missions. There are around 2,700 operational satellites currently orbiting the Earth. However, this is undermined by the fact that there are 3,200 defunct, or junk, satellites still in orbit. It is estimated that between 2019 and 2028, there will be 9,935 satellites launched.

But there’s more to it than that — in fact, a lot more. Experts have been nervous about collisions between space debris for decades, warning that a piece of debris could crash into a spacecraft and start a chain reaction. Tiny pieces of shrapnel could expand outward in all directions, creating a chaotic chain of collisions that could last for hundreds of years. At the present density of orbital objects, collisions like these are inevitable, and some have already occurred. Detectable debris, objects that are four inches wide or larger, from a single shattered satellite can exceed 1,000 objects. Objects smaller than four inches could reach the millions, all threatening to pollute our orbits. 

The worst-case scenario, if we continue on our current trajectory, would be the Kessler Syndrome. This is a future in which our orbit becomes so polluted with debris that launchings are impossible, and anything attempting to leave the safety of Earth’s atmosphere would be destroyed. However, even if the Kessler Syndrome does not become a reality, it is likely that space debris could make space travel even more costly. Spacecraft may have to be designed to be more durable, making it heavier and more expensive to fly. Like other forms of pollution, space debris could make entire parts of our universe uninhabitable.

Even if we don’t reach Kessler Syndrome status, space debris is already impacting humans on Earth. China was in the headlines this May for a rocket booster that fell uncontrolled from the atmosphere. Luckily, there were no casualties; the debris landed safely in the ocean. But the uncertainty leading up to its landing was troubling and warned of future mishaps. Uncontrolled debris fall may become more frequent as we continue into space, and will not always be casualty-free. NASA has criticized China for being irresponsible with debris from missions, but with no standard of sustainability, it’s difficult to hold them accountable. 

Can We Avoid Entrapment on Earth?

Luckily, it’s not all gloom and doom. Scientists have been aware of this problem for a long time, and are working to fix it. In the past, defunct satellites have been left in space with no plan to remove them and a sometimes -unfounded hope that they would eventually burn up in the atmosphere. It is now possible for commercial satellites to be physically joined by maintenance satellites and refueled or repaired to extend their life. This happened for the first time in 2020 with a satellite that had not been pre-designed for reuse. Keeping older satellites operational could prevent more satellites from being added to the mix. 

Now satellites may finally reach their intended fate: retroactively, there are projects underway to remove some debris from space. The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on debris removal missions, which could capture dead spacecraft and launch them into the atmosphere to burn up or move them to the graveyard zone of orbit. Solar sails and balloons are another proposed solution, which would catch the thin atmosphere and allow the debris to move lower until they burn up. 

There is still hope to promote sustainable behavior and prevent the situation from getting worse. MIT, the ESA, and the World Economic Forum are developing International Space Sustainability Ratings. The aim is to create transparency around space missions and how sustainable they are for our orbit’s future. The rating system is both a “standardized and flexible tool” to “incentivize the designs of missions that are sustainable and responsible” and “reduce harm on the orbital environment”. Standards would include ensuring detectability to track objects, designing a collision avoidance process, and an end-of-mission plan.

However, there is no plan to make these standards mandatory. Developers hope that space actors will be incentivized to participate in space sustainability through economic incentives, which could lower insurance costs on more sustainable projects. Ratings could also potentially be used in marketing, and provide recognition for high-achieving actors. But such incentives might be ineffective to motivate the billionaires who comprise most of the current space entrepreneurs. 

Our past is catching up to us, and sustainability, both on Earth and in the space that surrounds it, has never been so important. As our oceans fill with plastic, the wide expanse above us fills with satellites and rocket parts. Many of our current practices are unsustainable. If we want to hold on to our freedom to explore the cosmos, we need to be active in protecting our orbits. The International Space Sustainability Rating is a promising place to start.