INTERESTING STATISTICS

 

Artist Rendition of orbiting debris and functional satellites 

“Number of rockets launched since the start of the space age in 1957: About 7170 (excluding failures)

Number of satellites these rocket launches have placed into Earth orbit: About 25170

Number of these still in space: About 16910

Number of these still functioning: About 14200

Number of space objects regularly tracked by Space Surveillance Networks and maintained in their catalogue: About 44870

Estimated number of break-ups, explosions, collisions, or anomalous events resulting in fragmentation: More than 650

Total mass of all space objects in Earth orbit: More than 15800 tonnes.

NOT ALL objects are tracked and catalogued. The number of objects estimated based on statistical models to be in orbit:

54000 space objects greater than 10 cm (including approx. 9300 active payloads)
1.2 million space debris objects from greater than 1 cm to 10 cm
140 million space debris objects from greater than 1 mm to 1 cm.”

(European Space Agency)

  

AND SPACEX’S CHIEF BILLIONAIRE-IN-RESIDENCE, Elon Musk, wants to put “one million” StarLink satellites into orbit. That would certainly upgrade our current night skies populated by all those boring, slow-moving stars, with only occasional falling ones to spice things up. More glittering objects in space is just what the doctor ordered! Who needs vast, primordial regions of dark lit by unimaginably distant stars. And concerns that cascading collisions in an over-crowded sky will damage satellites that provide global communications, GPS services and a host of other, vital operations? Those worrys are over-blown aren't they? So, don't worry as the song says. Be happy.

😟1,000,000 StarLink sats? What could possibly go wrong?

 

 

CHEERS, JAKE. ____________________________________________