Scientists Group Files Topics On Handling Space Waste To The United Nations

JAKARTA The amount of space debris always increases every year and this situation raises concerns. According to a group of international scientists, this issue needs to be addressed strictly and seriously.

Therefore, a research group consisting of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laborator (JPL), the University of Plymouth, and the University of Texas submitted topics on space to the United Nations (UN) agenda so that Earth's orbit can be more protected.

"Adding the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) specifically for space will be a transformative step in maintaining one of the most vital environments on Earth," said Melissa Quinn, Slingshot Aerospace General Manager, quoted by Space.

Parties who were part of the initiative also said that space now needs to be limited. If the United Nations does not discuss the increasingly dense state of space, "(this environment) will continue to be under pressure from human activity."

Earth orbit was not as widespread a few years ago, especially after satellite megaconstellation became a trend. About 15 years ago, Earth had only a thousand orbiting satellites. However, this number has increased more than ten times and will continue to grow.

When the satellite's function is over, these objects will turn into dangerous debris. In other words, they will become trash in space. If left unchecked, these debris can collide with other objects or can even injure astronauts.

Based on the results of an analysis by the European Space Agency (ESA) in September last year, Earth's orbit currently has 40,500 pieces of space debris measuring more than 10cm, about 1.1 million debris measuring 1cm to 10cm, and about 139 million pieces measuring less than 1cm.

These various fragments continue to circle the Earth at a speed of 8km per second so that it can destroy anything that gets in their way. Therefore, the topic of handling space debris needs to be discussed very seriously, especially by the United Nations.

"It's not just about protecting space for his own interests," Quinn said. "It's about ensuring that the systems we rely on every day remain resilient, fair, and accessible to future generations."