#deorbit — Public Fediverse posts

#Newspaceeconomy:
"
What Is the US Deorbit Vehicle?
"
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2025/11/12/what-is-the-us-deorbit-vehicle

12.11.2025

#deorbit #Disposal #Draco #ISS #NASA #Raumfahrt #Raumstation #SpaceFlight #SpaceX #USDV

@Brad_Rosenheim

Except ... when this claim (not about the satellites re-entering, just the amount of damage they cause to the atmosphere) started circulating some months back, I read an article (somewhere...) that analyzed the amount and type of matter it would distribute, and it pales in comparison to the amount the earth receives in "space dust" and micrometeroids every day.

Best figure I know of for the mass of "normal" space matter hitting our planet is 5,200 tonnes / year:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/antarctic-study-shows-how-much-space-dust-hits-earth-every-year/

The current Starlink satellites are "gen2 mini", and are 740 kg. So you would need to de-orbit more than 7,000 of them every year - not 4 per day - to even match the natural space dust falling on earth. Except it's even worse (for the argument) than that, because 740kg is their launch mass, including all their maneuvering fuel/gasses, which by definition are gone before the satellites are deorbited. I don't have an exact figure for how much mass the fuel accounts for, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was more than 25% of the mass of the spacecraft at launch.

The residue left in the atmosphere doesn't seem to be a very big deal.

#science #mass #satellite #deorbit #RunTheNumbers #calculation

edit: typo

Organizations to build the technology to #deorbit ⤵️ #SpaceDebris 🗑️

• #Astroscale
• #ClearSpace
• #Neuraspace
• #ShareMySpace
• #Airbus
• #Vyoma
• #TransAstra
• #Orbex
• #Kyoto University
• #ESA
• #IAU CPS

https://interestingengineering.com/lists/11-organizations-space-debris-problem

#Astroscale's Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (#RPO) includes #SpaceDebris 🗑️ observation, as well as approach, capture, and #deorbit. The Active Debris Removal was due to launch in 📆 November aboard a #RocketLab #Electron launch vehicle 🚀. The mission is currently on hold after Rocket Lab suffered an anomaly on September 19. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/japanese-spacecraft-large-space-debris

Hackaday Links: September 3, 2023 - Right-to-repair has been a hot-button topic lately, with everyone from consumers t... - https://hackaday.com/2023/09/03/hackaday-links-september-3-2023/ #emergencyalertsystem #worldrobotconference #hackadaycolumns #hackadaylinks #righttorepair #construction #orbitaldrag #scientology #wastewater #cubesat #deorbit #e-meter #slider #kapton #sewer #dcma #fema #eas #fcc #wea