Skyways Becoming Dangerous 'Because of Falling Space Debris'
An illustration of space debris surrounding the Earth [Photo = Yonhap News (provided by NASA)]
According to ABC News in the United States on the 7th (local time), this research result was published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports last month.
The paper diagnosed that "uncontrolled (atmospheric) reentry of space objects poses a risk of collision with aircraft in flight," and "the probability of collision is low, but the results can be fatal."
Space debris comes from all launch vehicles launched by humans to access space, such as satellites. Debris orbiting the Earth falls into the atmosphere over time, where it mostly burns and turns into fine particles.
However, debris from rockets used to launch spacecraft is large and heat-resistant, so it can cause casualties on the ground, at sea, and in the air when it reenters the atmosphere.
"There are an estimated 50,000 pieces of softball-sized or larger space debris near the Earth," Columbia University associate professor Aaron Boley, lead author of the study, told ABC. "If you include smaller pieces, that number could be in the millions."
When the researchers analyzed the risks to airspace based on data from 2023, they found that the probability of being affected by rocket debris re-entering the atmosphere around major airports around the world with high air traffic was 0.8% per year.
In more crowded skies, such as Pacific coast cities like Vancouver, Canada, or Seattle, or the East Coast of the United States, the probability of air traffic disruption by rocket debris was 26% per year.
In 2022, Spain and France closed some of their airspace as a 20-ton rocket was about to enter the atmosphere, delaying 645 flights for 30 minutes and forcing some aircraft to divert.
"This disruption is definitely happening, and it will happen more in the future," Boley said.
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