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ENVISAT is a massive European satellite
Envisat is massive. It´s weight is 8 tons. And ESA lost contact to it in 2012. It was old anyways and already 5 years over its time.
But ENVISAT is now a time bomb. It orbits in 770 Km height. And thats the problem. This area is very rich in space debris. ENVISAT has each year close contact with space debris in the range of only 200 meters distance. Because we have no control over ENVISAT it can´t change direction and can not avoid impact.
ENVISATs orbit is stable for atleast 150 years before it will sink into earths atmosphere.
Given ENVISATS great size and mass, its dangerous orbit and the fact that it is out of control, makes it the most dangerous object for humaniies ability to reach space. Experts at ESA think that any collission with ENVISAT is possible to create an enormous cloud of space debris and trigger a cascade of following impacts with other satellites, space stations and basicly start the feared "Kessler Syndrome".
If you saw the movie Gravity, you know what the Kessler Syndrome is. Humanity would lose its acess to space for many hundred years. We could not even use satellites anymore.
ESA currently tries to find a solution for this problem, but it is definitly not easy.
Envisat is massive. It´s weight is 8 tons. And ESA lost contact to it in 2012. It was old anyways and already 5 years over its time.
But ENVISAT is now a time bomb. It orbits in 770 Km height. And thats the problem. This area is very rich in space debris. ENVISAT has each year close contact with space debris in the range of only 200 meters distance. Because we have no control over ENVISAT it can´t change direction and can not avoid impact.
ENVISATs orbit is stable for atleast 150 years before it will sink into earths atmosphere.
Given ENVISATS great size and mass, its dangerous orbit and the fact that it is out of control, makes it the most dangerous object for humaniies ability to reach space. Experts at ESA think that any collission with ENVISAT is possible to create an enormous cloud of space debris and trigger a cascade of following impacts with other satellites, space stations and basicly start the feared "Kessler Syndrome".
If you saw the movie Gravity, you know what the Kessler Syndrome is. Humanity would lose its acess to space for many hundred years. We could not even use satellites anymore.
ESA currently tries to find a solution for this problem, but it is definitly not easy.
