A new space debris grading system could keep countries from cluttering up outer space
World Economic Forumhas brought on teams from MIT and the European Space Agencyto build a grading system for satellite launches.
Space Sustainability Rating(SSR) will hold companies and government accountable for their outer space missions.
- The central issue is the old satellites that are left behind in space well after their mission is over.
The international non-profit has roped in teams from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a grading system called the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR).
The objective behind SSR is to hold companies and governments accountable for their actions in outer space as the frequency of launches in increases
The Space Sustainability Rating will create an incentive for companies and governments operating satellites to take all the steps they can to reduce the creation of space debris. This will create a more equitable opportunity for new countries to participate in space with less risk of collision with older satellites.
The exact parameters of the SSR aren’t in place yet, but that’s what the teams are for — to figure out what rules and processes have to be in place in order to ensure that the SSR operates efficiently.
The endgame is to have a metric that will be able to determine how well any satellite or satellite system follows guidelines in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of space.
Why do we need a rating for missions to outer space?
Supporters of the project are envisioning that the SSR will be somewhat similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system that is used to determine the energy efficiency of buildings.
It’s not that regulations don’t already exist. For instance, debris in low earth atmosphere (LEO) is supposed to clear out within 25 years of a mission being completed.
In order to continue using satellites in orbit around Earth for years to come, we need to ensure that the environment around Earth is as free as possible from trash leftover from previous missions.
The SSR, on the other hand, will require space companies to fill out a questionnaire in order to establish the sustainability of a mission before it takes off the ground.
The rating, in turn, will be a single point of reference for the mission — increasing transparency and putting impetus on debris mitigation.
Europe is setting an example on how to clean up outer space — using a harpoon
India's test of its anti-satellite weapon may have weakened its fight against dangerous space debris
These are the countries on Earth with the most junk in space
- Finance minister holds pre-budget stakeholder consultation with BJP functionaries
- Amazon Sale: Best deals on kitchen items and dining products
- Amazon Great Republic Sale: Best deals on kitchen appliances
- India records 2,71,202 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, active cases highest in 225 days
- Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2022 — Best deals and offers on laptops