It was not long ago when the collection of space debris in and around the orbit was discussed as a threat to the planets and other satellites roaming around. Space agencies and companies have sent so many objects into space that they are now revolving around in the void, posing a serious threat of a collision at any time with any other object. The results can be quite destructive if these collisions turn out to be of a massive scale.
Recently, it was reported that such a collision did occur in March. An old and abandoned Russian rocket in space collided with a Chinese satellite. The damage and intensity of this accident were so huge that it has been named the worst space collision after a similar 2009 incident.
This exhibits how important it is to manage the debris in outer space. There is always an impending threat from now on. Another report states that the same Chinese satellite Yunhai 1-02 had come in destructive contact with another piece of space junk earlier this year as well. This piece was of Zenit-2 rocket that launched a spy satellite back in 1996. This was reported by Harvard astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell after a study on the incident.
Fortunately, the satellite was strong enough to withstand these collisions and is still transmitting signals back to the country without any interruptions. It is high time that a solution to this is a problem is worked upon or the damage will be too colossal to compensate. It is also probable that any collision could lead to a knock-on effect causing an exponential series of collisions, a phenomenon known as “Kessler syndrome.”