What Is Kessler Syndrome And Is It Already In Motion? Experts Raise Alarm Over Space Debris Crisis

Excessive space objects pose a threat to modern-day technology

“The number of objects in space that we have launched in the last four years has increased exponentially,” Vishnu Reddy, a professor of planetary sciences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, told CNN. “So we are heading towards the situation that we are always dreading.”

The International Space Station faced a potential strike in November, raising concerns among astronauts. That is not the first time ISS has had to take action against space debris, with multiple maneuvers in place since it occurred in November 2000. Each year, the risk escalates as space debris increases in prominence, CNN reported.

In October, the U.S. Space Command announced that the agency and the Department of Commerce would begin dual-track operations to highlight space awareness and services to satellite owners and operators.

“USSPACECOM currently tracks and publishes information about approximately 47,000 objects in space, to include military, civilian and commercial objects, through space-track.org,” the agency said.

These objects and space congestion could lead to Kessler Syndrome, a phenomenon coined by the American astrophysicist Donald Kessler based on his 1978 academic paper. Though it has been around for nearly 50 years, some scientists have questions and even disagree with some areas regarding its relevance.

‘We are causing huge damage’

Several experts shared their thoughts on whether Kessler Syndrome had already started based on the number of collisions and debris in orbit.

“I think it’s confusing for the public that different entities do not agree,” Carolin Frueh, an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Indiana’s Purdue University, told CNN. “The concept itself is just not as clean and crisp as you would think.”

Meanwhile, Nilton Renno, a professor of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan, has an optimistic approach.

“The analogy that I like to think about space debris is plastic in the oceans,” he said. “We used to think that the oceans are infinite, and we throw in trash and plastic, and now we realize — no, those are finite resources. And we are causing huge damage if we are not careful about what we do.”