ESA Explores Space Operations

We talk to Julia Schwartz, expert in flight dynamics, and Klaus Merz, space debris, about Solar Orbiter's upcoming risky Earth flyby. On 27 Nov, it will pass almost as close as the International Space Station in one of the closest flybys on record, which will see the spacecraft pass through two regions of hazardous debris. Could Solar Orbiter swerve from collision, if needed? Has the recent 'fragmentation event' increased the risk?

ESA needs you. We need a name for our new spacecraft. Its mission? To spot potentially hazardous solar storms before they reach Earth. We speak to Jussi Luntama, ESA's Head of Space Weather about the mission, why it needs a new name, and what kind of submissions he's hoping for. Submit your proposal at: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_weather/Name_ESA_s_new_mission

André Kuipers is one of a handful of astronauts who has had to 'shelter-in-place' from a piece of marauding space debris. In 2012, a debris fragment was spotted heading towards the International Space Station. Its orbit was hard to predict but it looked like it could pass at a distance of approximately 10 kilometres: that meant code red. ESA astronaut André, along with his fellow passengers, had to seek shelter in the two Soyuz spaceships which function as safe houses and as lifeboats. Fortunately, the debris passed safely by. We spoke to André about what this experience was like, and also to his wife Helen who recounts the exact moment she found out.

Space may seem vast, but the orbits around Earth in which satellites reside are a limited natural resource. Since the beginning of the space age, millions of debris fragments have been created which now threaten any spacecraft that crosses their path. So what can we do to protect these vulnerable regions for future generations? Find out in episode nine of the ESA-UNOOSA space debris series, with Stijn Lemmens and Tanya Keusen. While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…ainability_of_space

Debris in orbit varies from millions of millimetre-sized particles to thousands of much larger objects like defunct satellites and rocket parts. As such the damage debris can cause varies from a gradual degradation of satellite parts over time to immediate and total destruction. Find out about the damage debris can do - including leading to the "Kessler syndrome" - in episode 7 of the ESA-UN space debris podcast with Beatriz Jilete and Markus Woltran. While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…act_of_space_debris

What goes up, nearly always comes back down. Roughly 100 satellites and rocket bodies reentered Earth's atmosphere every year in the last decade. It might sound scary, but atmospheric reentries are nothing to be worried about - in fact they are a fundamental tool in minimising the creation of space debris and ensuring a sustainable future in space. In this podcast, episode 5 in the ESA-UN space debris series, Stijn Lemmens and Jorge del Rio Vera it discuss the risk from reentries and why they are so important. While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic: www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Imag…e_role_of_reentries.

Space might seem an empty, vast expanse, but satellites in Earth's orbit face the constant risk of collision - with other satellites and rockets, dead or alive, or with fragments of their debris. It is now routine for operators of spacecraft in busy highways to divert their mission out of harms way. In fact at ESA, each mission flown performs on average two 'collision avoidance manoeuvres' per year. In this podcast, episode 3 in the ESA-UN space debris series, Benjamin Bastida Virgili and Hazuki Mori discuss the cost of these manoeuvres and what can be done. While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic.

Satellites in orbit share near-Earth space with millions of fast-moving and dangerous debris objects. Tim Flohrer, Head of ESA's Space Debris Office, and Nathalie Ricard, Scientific Officer at the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), discuss the scale of the debris problem, asking what are our satellites are up against? While you listen, check out the corresponding ESA-UN infographic that illustrates this topic.