In orbit, an outdated Russian engine burst, scattering 16 pieces of potentially dangerous debris. When the GLONASS satellites were launched in 2007, the Russian SOZ ullage motor (also known as ullage rockets) was launched into orbit for the first time. The engines are employed to help lift payloads into their proper orbits, in this case a Russian satellite navigation system. Fuel can drift away from where it is needed in Zero-G, especially when a flight slows down. The ullage motors’ duty is to gently accelerate the entire spacecraft, repositioning fuel within the tanks so that the main engines can resume in orbit.
Probes or spacecraft might become stranded if the fuel drifts away from where it is required without it. They aren’t without flaws, no matter how valuable they are. “When the SOZ motors ignite, they don’t consume all of their propellant. They also have a bad habit of going off years or decades later, producing a swarm of debris in a highly elliptical orbit “On Twitter, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Jonathan McDowell expressed his thoughts. “At least 54 SOZ motors have detonated at this point.”
The 18th Space Defense Squadron of the United States Space Force revealed on Twitter on Tuesday that the rocket had broken up into at least 16 pieces, which are currently being followed. This specific engine will very certainly reenter the atmosphere, but it may take years or perhaps decades. “Currently, 173 debris items from those explosions are being detected,” McDowell noted, “but the real number is probably much higher because tracking is less complete for high orbits.”
It’s reasonable to assume that space is becoming increasingly clogged with trash. One worry regarding debris is that it can trigger the “Kessler Effect” (or Kessler Syndrome). The 18th Space Defense Squadron of the United States Space Force reveal on Twitter on Tuesday that the rocket had broken up into at least 16 pieces, which are currently being followed. This specific engine will very certainly reenter the atmosphere, but it may take years or perhaps decades.
“Currently, 173 debris items from those explosions are being detected,” McDowell noted, “but the real number is probably much higher because tracking is less complete for high orbits.” It’s reasonable to assume that space is becoming increasingly clogged with trash. One worry regarding debris is that it can trigger the “Kessler Effect” (or Kessler Syndrome). Simply explained, the Kessler Effect occurs when a single incident in low-Earth orbit (such as a satellite explosion) triggers a chain reaction in which debris destroys additional satellites in orbit.
If this happens, the junk may collide with other satellites or trash, potentially creating communication issues and blocking spacecraft access to certain locations. It might wind up looking a lot like the movie Gravity, but with less George Clooney and more “hey, what happened to my GPS?” At worst, it may effectively lock us on Earth, preventing us from leaving.
