Two large pieces of space debris nearly collided in low Earth orbit, highlighting the need for cleaning up space near planet .
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Leolabs , a space traffic management service that tracks satellites and other objects in orbit, spotted a near-collision between a defunct Soviet payload and a depleted Chinese rocket body moving at incredible speeds on September 13 .
The close encounter between the two pieces of space debris was observed when one passing object passed next to the other. Leolabs determined that it was likely Cosmos 807, a 400-kilogram payload launched in 1976, and the Chinese Long March 4C weighing about 2,000 kilograms that was launched five years ago.
Each piece was traveling at about 7.5 kilometers per second as it passed through an altitude of about 689 kilometers. According to Leolabs, a collision of these extremely energetic and massive pieces would create about 3,000 pieces of debris in low Earth orbit.
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Leolabs estimated their distance to be 36 meters, with a small deviation of about 13 meters. The probability of a collision is estimated at 0.1%, or in other words, one in a thousand. However, both sides have had numerous encounters with other space debris or operational satellites in the past two years.
At orbital speeds, even tiny pieces of debris can cause enormous damage. This could threaten astronauts on the International Space Station or Tiangong , as well as their ability to use orbits for Earth observation, scientific research, communications and other activities.
According to a recent report by the European Space Agency, although countries and companies are adopting new measures to reduce space debris, existing trash in orbit makes our behavior in space unsustainable.
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The new emergency call highlights the need to clean up activities and reduce the chances of a cascade of dangerous space debris, known as Kessler syndrome.
