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Debris in space is becoming more and more of a problem. Former NASA head of research Thomas Zurbuchen says how Switzerland could remedy the situation.
Author: Harry Stitzel, Franziska Kohler, Stefan Frühauf
There is a lot of activity in space: over 8,000 satellites orbit the earth. They transmit information worldwide, help with navigation or serve military purposes. This can become a problem if they get in the way of decommissioned satellites or rockets and collide with them.
It all started in 1957. At that time, Sputnik 1 was the first satellite to be launched into space. Thousands of manned and unmanned missions followed him – and unloaded huge amounts of waste.
The space business is huge. Last year, 500 billion US dollars were generated worldwide from space travel: led by the USA and also China.
Danger to space travel
One consequence of this: More than 36,000 pieces of debris – all over 10 centimeters in size – are now orbiting our planet. This is the result of calculations by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is debris from satellites that collided above Earth and, in the worst case, it hits other missiles.
For Thomas Zurbuchen the situation is unacceptable. He knows what he’s talking about because he was science director at NASA – the US civilian agency for space and flight science – for six years.
“If we continue like this, we will be in a crisis in five years. Then entire areas of space can no longer be used – like a minefield,” says Zurbuchen in the ECO Talk. However, you need these places to do good: for the earth, the weather and communication.
If we continue like this, entire areas of space will soon no longer be usable – a debris field.
ESA has also recognized the problem and is relying on the support of the Swiss start-up Clear Space. For an initial mission, the company is developing a satellite that will remove a disused part of a rocket from up to 800 kilometers above the Earth. For this, Clear Space will receive 86 million francs from ESA.
Such satellites are intended to ensure order in orbit like a kind of towing service. This should be everyday life in the future. The start of the Clear Space mission is scheduled for 2027, as managing director Luc Piguet tells SRF.
The unique know-how of Switzerland
Switzerland as a technology location can help to find solutions, says Thomas Zurbuchen – today he is the head of the Initiative Zürich Space the ETH. The aim of this is for research and companies to cooperate. Switzerland can also bring different countries to the table, says Zurbuchen.
Switzerland not only has the technological know-how, but also the competence to build high-tech devices and technologies. “Switzerland is better than everyone else at this,” says Zurbuchen.