What happens to old satellites after they wear out?

Question

I already know they have a life cycle of about 15-20 yrs until the radiation destroys their capability to transmit and recieve, but what happens to them after that.

Answer 1

If the satellite was still functioning (not damaged) prior to it's "retirement" the satellite is placed in whats called a "parking orbit". This orbit is just a small ways away from where it's useful life was spent. In the case of a satellite in geo-stationary orbit (22,500 miles up), the parking orbit is about 1000 miles further up. For satellites in lower orbits, the parking orbit is usually a couple of hundred miles further up. The need for these parking orbits stem from the need for other satellites to take the retiring satellites place.

Now, if a satellite is damaged (either from launch errors or debris collisions), it may be impossible to communicate with the satellite to direct it into a parking orbit. These objects are tracked, and when they come close to operational satellites, the working satellites are usually redirected in their orbital paths to avoid the rogue satellite.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

They get reprogrammed by the Death Star and join the Dark Side.

Old satellites join the rest of the 4,000,000 pounds of debris flying around Earth at 22,000 mph. Most of this debris falls back into the atmosphere and burns up like a meteor but some will take centuries before they fall.

There are over 110,000 objects larger than 1cm up there. 13,000 of these are larger than 10cm. 2,671 satellites (working or not) and 90 space probes.

Thank God we sent a few out to the far parts of our solar system. (Godspeed Pioneer 10 and 11)

US Space Command monitors debris and sends reports to NASA. The Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee is attempting to address the growing problem. NASA has been attempting to develop the Orion project which would use laser beams directed at the objects to deflect them into the atmosphere where they would burn up.

In the meantime, don't forget your umbrella.

Answer 3

The fate of old satellites first and foremost depends on what sort of orbit it is in. Geostationary and other spacecraft in high Earth orbit will remain in orbit for millenia or even longer. In low Earth orbit once a satellite expires it will fall out of orbit anywhere from several hundred years later to a matter of months for the ones in the lowest orbits. However, other factors can determine the fate of defunct spacecraft. For one thing, many are full of corrosive and explosive propellants that explode on contact with each other. Once they burn throught tank walls or pipes, they mix and the satellite explodes. Batteries can also explode. The other factor is space debris, a shard of metal the size of of golfball can rip a satellite to shreds. Finally, old satellites may be used as targets for testing anti-satellite or ballistic missile weaponry. The Chinese last year destroyed an defunct weather satellite circling Earth in a 537-mile high polar orbit. Satellites that do not fall our of orbit and burn up in the atmosphere, explode or are destroyed in weapons tests will remain in orbit as dead hulks for a long, long time.

Answer 4

If they are in a high enough orbit, they will stay there forever. That is why space junk is becoming such a problem.

If they are in low Earth orbit, there is enough atmosphere to slow down the satellite gradually, so it eventually falls into the atmosphere and burns up. Some make it all of the way to the ground.

Answer 5

Sometimes our shuttle missions go up and rescue satellites, otherwise they do fall back down through the atmosphere.
Yes, it is a sobering thought, because often they really do make it all the way back and crash onto the ground, (like Skylab did in 1979). Luckily for us it was in the remote outback of Australia then, but next time it could be a major city or whatnot. They try not to let people know all this or it might be an unpopular endeavor putting all that trash up there.

Answer 6

The low-Earth orbiting satellites will eventually fall due to atmospheric drag; the higher orbiters - and especially those at Geo-synch orbit, will likely stay orbiting for many thousands of years, unless affected by other forces.

Once they die, however - they're effectively space junk.

Answer 7

Eventually, their orbits will deteriorate and they will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at ultra-high speeds and incinerate.

Answer 8

they just stay floating in the air and become space junk until some kind of gravity from earth pulls them down.

Actually one justabout hit an airplane not to long ago !!

http://www.space.com/news/070329_spacejunk_jet_updt.html

Answer 9

old sattelites are thrown out of their orbit and they keep moving in outer space for ever after being useless.this is not my thinking but this is a fact...for a better answer u should prefer any good book related to astronomy

Answer 10

i believe that they just stay in the earths gravity and orbit.