this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
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US issues first ever fine for space junk to Dish Network (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I heard they're designed to burn up in the atmosphere. Probably not an eco-friendly move, but it beats taking a satellite to the head.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Probably not an eco-friendly move

Fine powder of metals strewn over a few km², there's more coming from outer space via micrometeorites and dust. And that bit CO² in the Stratosphere...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah but you also have to manufacture and send up the satellites into LEO.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Also counterintuitively, you need some fuel to deorbit, which adds payload weight at launch and requires more fuel in the first place.

For example, getting a unit of rocket fuel to the Moon requires about ten times as much at launch.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think they need much fuel in this case unless they want to be absolutely sure that they deorbit in the right place. The satellites are so small that might not even be needed.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, it takes little fuel to destabilize one's orbit and eventually enter the atmosphere to burn up. It's more difficult if you need to make sure that the craft doesn't take others down during the procedure.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The satellites are in LEO so the orbit will decay on its own because of the atmospheric drag.

I don't think they really have to worry about taking down other satellites.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Starlink's only have fuel because of the initial lower orbit, as far as i know. Wasn't that to test them, for radiation and so on?