Editorial | Dangers in space call for action by nations
- Countries and companies need to clean up their act as hi-tech debris increasingly poses a risk to satellites, spacecraft and astronauts
Deep space may be the final frontier, but the outer space between the Earth’s atmosphere and the moon is becoming a junkyard. A disused rocket booster is expected to strike the surface of the far side of the moon early next month.
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has claimed it is from the Chang’e 5-T1 mission launched in 2014 as part of China’s lunar exploration programme. However, the Chinese foreign ministry has denied it.
It was previously misidentified as a booster rocket from SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.
The moon crash is not expected to pose any danger. But the incident is a reminder that the elite group of spacefaring nations and companies is contributing to the accumulation of space junk.
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China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples
Such hi-tech debris increasingly poses a danger to satellites, spacecraft and astronauts. Communication systems on Earth may also be affected.