PLEASE GRADE THIS FOR ME ILL BE FOREVER INDEBTED JS LMK IF THIS IS GOOD ENOUGH I NEEEEEEED A 5 PLEASEEE
Though it must be conceded that the removal of space junk is costly, difficult, and often considered unnecessary, the world should take preventive measures in order to avoid space debris build up in the future.
Though it seems to be a valiant and important cause on paper, the removal of space debris is largely considered unnecessary due to cost and ownership restrictions, especially when the likelihood of a collision is taken into account. To begin with, the removal of space junk will likely dip significantly into federal budgets. According to Source D, the “cost of every single mission…will be paid by taxpayers” (Source D). With the placement of junk termination processes, taxes would more than likely increase significantly in order to fund each mission. This money could instead be spent on national infrastructure, healthcare systems, or education, all of which are more urgent than space debris. This begs the question: why prioritize space junk when it has caused few problems in the past? Source A frames this concern perfectly, noting that the last collision with loose space debris was in March 2021, and before that in 2009. When costs are weighed, it becomes clear that spending on removal of celestial waste would be much more expensive than losses due to rare collisions. Cost is not the only issue, however. Legal issues can arise between entire nations with the unauthorized removal of a piece foreign debris. Source D highlights that there are “political and legal issues related to the ownership of defunct satellites” that prevent the ability of one nation to dispose of another’s waste (Source D). Such criticalities make it extremely difficult to effectively address the removal of space junk - when paired with the rarity of collisions and the cost of each mission, it seems as if removal is unnecessary and impossible.
However, this is not to say that preventive measures should not be implemented, either. Though collisions are rare, they can cause significant damages. Source C states that most of the collisions in space are between defunct satellites, but one in 1977 scattered radioactive debris across Canada. This could be not only expensive, in terms of clean-ups, but deadly as well. Even a trace amount of radioactive material in an area could cause it to become inhabitable, leaving behind death, future genetic mutations, and toxin-carrying animals that can bring disease back to human civilization. Not to mention, the rarity of past collisions cannot effectively be used as a “pattern”. According to Source B, a graph of the number of satellites launched into low-Earth orbit, the number of manmade celestial objects orbiting the Earth has nearly double since 2017. With this trend, the number of collisions will increase significantly as the number of space objects grows exponentially. This growth is further reflected in the graph in Source F, which shows that majority of space “stuff” belonging to countries such as Russia, the U.S., and China is debris, which includes destroyed satellites, parts of rockets, and space station waste. Collisions will be more likely to occur with technological advancements, as more space objects are sent into space. These collisions could lead to catastrophic consequences. Oliver Tian, a researcher at the University of Leiden, admitted, “Space could be inaccessible to humans” (Source C). Though collisions are rare and removals can be costly, something must be done in order to protect the world as well as its ability study space. Source D states that the first step is placing preventive measures. During development of efficient ADR missions (a remedial technique focused on eliminating already present space junk), tethers, balloons, solar sals, and active decommissioning devices can be installed in rockets and satellites in order to increase chances of possible recovery. These measures, though they will not fully mitigate the possibility of space collisions, are cheaper and faster than most removal missions - they also do not require legal agreements if the deploying nation attaches these cautionary devices themselves.
All in all, while junk removal is unfeasible due to its cost and the rarity of space collisions, preventive measures must be placed in order to combat rising collision probabilities that may lead to radiation and irreversible damage.