Space Junk Falls to Earth Faster when Sunspots Peak, Reshaping Satellite Collision Forecasts
Researchers tracked 17 debris objects over 36 years and found stronger solar activity increases drag, speeding their return toward Earth.
- A new study published yesterday in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences reveals that solar activity accelerates the descent of space junk from orbit. Astrophysicist Ayisha Ashruf and colleagues at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, India, led the research.
- When sunspot numbers reach about 70 percent of their peak, orbital decay rates rise sharply. Intense solar radiation heats and expands the thermosphere, creating atmospheric drag that slows objects in low Earth orbit.
- Researchers tracked 17 pieces of space debris over a 36-year span, finding these objects circle Earth every 90 to 120 minutes and lose altitude more quickly during high solar activity. The pattern held consistent across three consecutive solar cycles from 1986 to 2024.
- "For the first time, we find that, once solar activity passes a certain level, this loss of altitude happens noticeably more quickly," Ashruf said. The finding helps planners identify optimal launch windows to avoid collisions with debris.
- The debris field consists of nearly 130 million pieces of space junk, and understanding how solar cycles influence orbital shifts remains critical for planning sustainable space operations. This insight grows more urgent as the proliferation of human-made debris increases collision risks.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, reshaping satellite collision forecasts
Solar emissions exert 'drag' on space junk orbiting Earth. From historical measurements across a period of 36 years, researchers have now shown that space junk begins to fall down much faster once the sun's activity across the solar cycle reaches approximately 67% of its peak. This result, which is expected to hold for station-keeping satellites too, is important for better planning of space missions that avoid collisions.
Space scrap in near-earth orbit is becoming increasingly a problem for space travel. A study from India provides new insights into the predictability of sinking speeds of objects orbiting around the Earth: The level of activity of the sun plays a crucial role. read more on t3n.de
New Study Shows Space Debris Descends Faster as Solar Temperatures Rise
Space debris, including defunct satellites and leftover rocket stages, poses an increasing risk to operational spacecraft and human space missions. Recent research indicates that heightened solar activity may accelerate the descent of space debris, influencing how scientists estimate satellite lifespans and collision probabilities. When solar activity reaches approximately 67% of its peak, space debris descends [...] The post New Study Shows Spa…
Increased Solar Activity Accelerates Space Junk Re-Entry
The Sun does far more than light our days and power solar panels. Every 11 years or so, it reaches a peak of magnetic activity known as solar maximum, unleashing extra ultraviolet radiation and charged particles that transform the thin veil of gas high above Earth. That transformation has direct, measurable consequences for the thousands of pieces of human-made debris circling the planet in low Earth orbit. New research released this month shows…
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