COLLISION IN SPACE !

In a space-age first, two satellites have collided in orbit. Early on Wednesday morning, Sydney time, a Russian communications satellite and an American Iridium mobile phone spacecraft smashed into each other, 790 kilometres above Siberia. The cosmic bingle left both write-offs. US Air Force Brigadier General Michael Carey, of US Strategic Command, said at least 600 pieces of wreckage had been observed circling the world.We knew this was going to happen eventually with all the space junk up there. The satellites just ran into each other.

Nothing has the right of way up there, there is no air-traffic controller in space.
Orbital traffic control had been impossible because the position of most satellites, until now, could only be plotted to an accuracy of four of five kilometres. A laser system, developed at a cost of $50 million with help from the Federal Government and satellite operators, could track objects with an accuracy of a few metres and warn satellite operators when to change course.

Yesterday, NASA was trying to determine whether the wreckage posed a danger to other satellites. Initial findings showed the risk to the International Space Station was "very, very small". The 900 kilogram Russian satellite, Cosmos 2251, was launched in 1991 and ended its working life 10 years ago. The 670 kilogram American vehicle was one of 66 operational Iridium spacecraft relaying satellite-telephone communications. NASA says about 17,000 objects bigger than 10 centimetres, mostly debris from satellites and rockets, circle Earth.


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