Understanding how debris shifts in orbit can help to avoid disastrous collisions. And a new study increases that understanding, showing that space debris falls to Earth faster when the sun is more active.
“For the first time, we find that, once solar activity passes a certain level, this loss of altitude happens noticeably more quickly,” the study’s corresponding author, Ayisha Ashruf, a scientist and engineer at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, India, said in a statement.
“This observation is expected to be key for planning sustainable space operations in the future,” Ashruf added.
All objects in Earth orbit lose altitude over time, slowly moving toward our atmosphere. While space stations and satellites compensate for this loss with engine burns to maintain their desired orbits, space junk falls naturally.
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