The space around Planet Earth might seem to be empty, but it has become relatively crowded in recent decades. Countries and private companies have launched their own satellites for various reasons, and many of them remain in orbit long after their days of useful have come to an end. The possibility that they will crash into each other and create larger and more debris fields over time has been labeled the Kessler Syndrome, and it is a growing concern for those connected to space programs all over the world.
The possibility of many small collisions in space has prompted many people in different areas to consider how to fix a problem that is only going to get worse in the future. Right now SpaceX is beginning its own program to launch a total of thirty thousand satellites for a global internet system. At sixty of them going into orbit every few weeks, the chance for collision is only increasing.
There are currently no repair facilities in low-earth orbit, and none are planned at this time. it would be much too costly to send humans into space to retrieve and repair old or damage satellites, so some scientists are thinking in terms of sending robots to do the job.
While fixing a broken satellite sounds easy, programming robots to do the job without human intervention requires a great deal of thought. A university group has been working diligently at creating a network of robots that would work together to repair old satellites that have stopped functioning. Their plan is to use small robots that will be able to do separate jobs in conjunction with their fellow workers to refurbish satellites and keep them from becoming a hazard.
There are governments around the world concerned with the same issues, and one of them is working on a spacecraft that will launch in 2022. Its only mission will be to service satellites, and it will be tasked with capturing, repairing and releasing them back into orbit. For objects that need only orbital corrections, the task will be to capture them, refuel and put them back where they belong.
Another government group had the idea that it would be best to simply capture satellites that had outlived their usefulness and send them back down to earth. While that is still part of their goal, they have put off their launch until 2025 so they will be able to refurbish some of the satellites that can continue to function with maintenance.
It might appear that all of these ideas are still on the drawing board, but the time for launching is coming closer. The Kessler Syndrome is an issue that requires a solution sooner rather than later, so governments around the world are in favor of it. Pushing the limits of programming machines is a task that will eventually be accomplished, and satellites that might have caused collisions and created large debris fields will eventually be repaired and refueled. Their useful life will be extended, and the area immediately around the planet will remain relatively safe far into the future.
