The European Space Agency has addressed the issue of growing space debris, calling for global initiatives to tackle the problem immediately.
Space junk is a growing problem that has raised many concerns. It is known to multiply on its own when it collides with other debris. The European Space Agency addressed this issue during the 6th European Conference on Space Debris that took place April 25 at ESA's European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.
"There is a wide and strong expert consensus on the pressing need to act now to begin debris removal activities," says Heiner Klinkrad, Head of Europe Space Agency's Space Debris Office. "Our understanding of the growing space debris problem can be compared with our understanding of the need to address Earth's changing climate some 20 years ago."
According to ESA's data, "more than 23,000 items in orbit that are bigger than 10 centimeters (four inches) across, and hundreds of thousands of items between one and 10 centimeters (0.4 to four inches) across," as reported by Agence France-Presse.
The ESA revealed that not tackling this problem immediately could have a huge economical repercussion on the Earth's satellites, damaging them partially or completely. The cost of replacing damaged satellites is expected to be around $130 billion. Losing these satellites could lead to significant damage to the current society.
"While measures against further debris creation and actively deorbiting defunct satellites are technically demanding and potentially costly, there is no alternative to protect space as a valuable resource for our critical satellite infrastructure," Klinkrad added.
