Since the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957, more than 4,200 launches have placed some 5500 satellites into orbit. Currently about 700 satellites are used operationally for science and other applications. Space debris comprise the ever-increasing amount of inactive space hardware in orbit around the Earth as well as fragments of spacecraft that have broken up, exploded or otherwise become abandoned.
Mitigation scenarios - Passivation of satellites and rocket bodies
Credits:
ESA
ID number:
SEM8ROK26DF
HI-RES JPG size:
1222 kb
HI-RES TIFF size:
16 304 kb
Description
To prevent the breakup of rocket upper stages these must be passivated after separation of their payloads. The US Delta rocket upper stage now performs a burn to depletion, while the Ariane upper stage and the Japanese H-1 second stage release their residual fuel to avoid later explosions. Also spacecraft batteries and critical items with a potential to explode have to be passivated.
