Space debris and Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD)

Name: Sarat Chandra Academy
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2025-12-23T11:18+05:30

Space debris and Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD)

Context:

✔ The menace of space debris attracted global attention recently when a piece of debris struck the Chinese crewed vehicle Shenzhou-20.

✔ The impact caused a minor crack in the window of its return capsule, rendering it unusable for crew travel.

● About Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD):

✔ Micrometeoroidsare naturally occurring particles, typically extremely small (ranging from a few micrometres to about two millimetres).

o About 80-90% originate from collisions between asteroids in the Asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), with a small portion coming from comets.

o They travel at extremely high velocities (ranging from about 11 to 72 km/s)

✔ Unlike Orbital Debris, micrometeoroids exist everywhere in space, but due to the Earth’s gravity pull their distribution is slightly higher near our planet.

● Space Debris or Orbital Debris:

✔ Orbital Debris are human-made objects in Earth's orbit that no longer serve any useful purpose.

✔ They originate primarily from exploded rocket stages, defunct satellites, accidental collisions, and intentional anti-satellite weapon tests.

✔ The typical average speed of orbital debris is about 10 km/s.

✔ With increase in density of space debris, there could be a theoretical scenario wherein collisions between them may create a cascade of further collisions, eventually making space travel impossible

✔ This phenomenon is known as the Kessler Syndrome.

✔ Orbital debris is mostly concentrated in a “shell” around the Earth in Low earth Orbit (LEO) ranging from about 200 km up to 2,000 km altitude.

● Space Debris Management:

✔ The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) — an international forum of major space agencies such as NASA, ESA, ISRO, JAXA, etc. — plays a vital technical role by generating the foundational standards for space debris mitigation.

✔ These technical standards form the basis for the space debris mitigation guidelines adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS).

✔ They are voluntary and have no legally binding enforcement mechanism to compel the countries to adopt them.

● How is Gaganyan Crew Protected?

✔ Spacecraft employ passive defences like Whipple shields to protect against MMOD impacts.

✔ For India's human spaceflight mission, the protection scheme is based on internationally accepted standards.

✔ The design is validated at DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh using a gas gun facility that accelerates projectiles to impact velocities of up to 5 km/s.

Space debris and Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD)

✔ The menace of space debris attracted global attention recently when a piece of debris struck the Chinese crewed vehicle Shenzhou-20.

✔ The impact caused a minor crack in the window of its return capsule, rendering it unusable for crew travel.

● About Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD):

✔ Micrometeoroidsare naturally occurring particles, typically extremely small (ranging from a few micrometres to about two millimetres).

o About 80-90% originate from collisions between asteroids in the Asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), with a small portion coming from comets.

o They travel at extremely high velocities (ranging from about 11 to 72 km/s)

✔ Unlike Orbital Debris, micrometeoroids exist everywhere in space, but due to the Earth’s gravity pull their distribution is slightly higher near our planet.

● Space Debris or Orbital Debris:

✔ Orbital Debris are human-made objects in Earth's orbit that no longer serve any useful purpose.

✔ They originate primarily from exploded rocket stages, defunct satellites, accidental collisions, and intentional anti-satellite weapon tests.

✔ The typical average speed of orbital debris is about 10 km/s.

✔ With increase in density of space debris, there could be a theoretical scenario wherein collisions between them may create a cascade of further collisions, eventually making space travel impossible

✔ This phenomenon is known as the Kessler Syndrome.

✔ Orbital debris is mostly concentrated in a “shell” around the Earth in Low earth Orbit (LEO) ranging from about 200 km up to 2,000 km altitude.

● Space Debris Management:

✔ The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) — an international forum of major space agencies such as NASA, ESA, ISRO, JAXA, etc. — plays a vital technical role by generating the foundational standards for space debris mitigation.

✔ These technical standards form the basis for the space debris mitigation guidelines adopted by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS).

✔ They are voluntary and have no legally binding enforcement mechanism to compel the countries to adopt them.

● How is Gaganyan Crew Protected?

✔ Spacecraft employ passive defences like Whipple shields to protect against MMOD impacts.

✔ For India's human spaceflight mission, the protection scheme is based on internationally accepted standards.

✔ The design is validated at DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh using a gas gun facility that accelerates projectiles to impact velocities of up to 5 km/s.

✔ Ensuring a safe orbital highway requires the global community to adopt stringent zero-junk practices.