NASA needs to do more to understand the risks posed by space debris to spacecraft and find new ways to mitigate the threat, according to a report last week from the Office of the Inspector General.
Why it’s important: Some see space junk as an environmental crisis in orbit. Millions of pieces of spacecraft accelerate around the Earth at more than 17,000 mph, endangering spacecraft and sometimes people.
Leading the news: The new OIG report suggests that while NASA has done a good job of exorbitant its own spacecraft and rocket bodies, many other nations have not been as proactive as launching remaining spacecraft and rockets. in orbit over the recommended 25 years.
- Now experts warn that the space agency will have to mitigate the debris that already exists in space and prevent future debris from being created to keep spacecraft safe in the future.
- “Despite presidential and congressional guidelines at NASA over the past decade to develop active waste disposal technologies, the Agency has made little or no progress in these efforts,” the OIG wrote.
- The OIG also recommended that NASA develop a better means of tracking and understanding the nature of spacecraft in orbit to more effectively protect its spacecraft.
The catch: National and private companies are working to find ways to clean the space effectively, but these technologies are still beginning to develop.