New “star signs” made up of defunct satellites and old rocket parts have been identified above Earth to draw attention to the worsening problem of space debris.
The project, called Space Trash Signs, is the result of a collaboration between space sustainability company Privateer, German design agency Moby Digg, visual artist Frank Gräfe and communications agency Serviceplan Innovation. The space debris constellations can be explored on a special platform websitein stargazing apps and in a special program shown in planetariums worldwide.
The aim of the project is to draw attention to the growing problem of space debris ahead of a June meeting of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which will discuss measures needed to clean up space around the to keep Earth in order, the authors said in a statement.
Related: 6 Types of Objects That Could Trigger a Space Debris Apocalypse
The constellations were compiled based on real space debris tracking data collected by Privateer, but unlike their better-known star constellations, they cannot be observed from Earth. In fact, the constellations each existed for only a brief moment as space debris orbited Earth at speeds of over 17,000 miles per hour (27,359 kilometers per hour).
AI was used to find patterns in Privateer’s data, and the constellations were then timestamped to mark the moment they were discovered, the project’s spokesperson told Space.com in an email.
Clicking on each node of each constellation displays information about the debris object that makes up the node, including its size range, name, and the expected cost of removing it from orbit.
The constellations were chosen to highlight the most devastating consequences of the space debris problem. For example, the Broken Compass spotted over Bermuda in January 2023 indicates that space debris could damage global tracking and navigation satellites such as the US GPS or the European Galileo system if it hits them.
Similarly, “The Great 404,” recorded over West Africa in February 2023, highlights the impact of the destruction of internet satellites that connect isolated communities around the world. The unavailable forecast recorded over India in April 2023 is emblematic of the uncertainty the world would face if it lost its meteorological satellites. The collection consists of ten constellations in total.
“There are some internationally agreed guidelines for debris removal and prevention, but none of these mechanisms are enforceable,” Privateer chief scientist Moriba Jah said in the statement. “If we don’t change our behavior, space will become unusable.”
There are currently more than 160 million pieces of man-made space debris orbiting the Earth. These objects range from entire old satellites and used rocket stages to tiny fragments created in collisions between larger objects. Due to the growing number of satellites in orbit, driven by the advent of small satellites and internet beaming constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink, the risk of orbital collisions is increasing sharply.
While satellites can use their engines to maneuver and avoid collisions, the bigger problem is that the positions and trajectories of smaller pieces of debris are not known and their impacts often come as a complete surprise.
Experts fear that without preventative measures, such as removing large pieces of debris, the space around Earth could become completely unusable. The increasing frequency of collisions could lead to a situation known as Kessler syndrome, first predicted by former NASA physicist Donald Kessler in the late 1970s. Kessler syndrome is essentially an unstoppable collision cascade, where fragments from each new collision cause further impacts, creating more fragments and more collisions.