Do satellites ever collide with one another in space?

Question

What happens? Do they just blow up?

Answer 1

Possible, certainly. The real question is, how likely such collisions are. Many things are possible (e.g. you getting hit by a falling meteorite) but are ignored as too unlikely.

Collisions between satellites are indeed unlikely, but their likelihood increases rapidly with the number of satellites: increase the number of satellites 10 times and, other things being equal, the likelihood of collision grows 100-fold.

It all depends on the orbits of course. Most satellites move in low-altitude Earth orbit, 600-1000 kilometer above the ground. At any times, this space is filled by thousands of pieces of matter--satellites, rocket stages, cast-off pieces of hardware (like weights used to slow down satellite spin), etc., about 100,000 pieces, most of them fragments from exploding rockets, but also including some 7500 larger accountable pieces of space hardware. Space is huge, but all these are moving rapidly. Luckily, all motions are essentially in the same direction (west to east, chosen to take advantage of the Earth's rotation) with almost the same speed. Even so, that speed is enormous, and collisions still may occur, since the orbits make different angles with the Earth's equator.

So far, the problem is not serious. One definite collision has been recorded in July 1996. The French satellite Cerise, launched in 1995, collided with debris from a 1986 launch, and broke off a stabilizing boom. In this case it was soon noted that the satellite had lost orientation and control was reestablished. Fine grains of debris occasionally hit the space shuttle, leaving impact marks in the heat tiles and even in the windows; to avoid damage to the sensitive front of the shuttle, at times when no reason exists to do otherwise, it flies tail-first. A "ding" 1/16 inch across, in a window of the shuttle, may be seen at http://satobs.org/image/sts-70_win.gif.

The main fear is that as the number of satellites grows, collisions will become more frequent. True, satellites in low orbits are also gradually removed , for air resistance makes them spiral downwards until they are burned up in the denser low atmosphere. But more collisions also produce fragments which increase the hazard.

High orbits, such as those of communication satellites which hang above fixed spots on the rotating Earth, can last millions of years.
Unless somehow removed, such satellites will stay up almost indefinitely, long after they have stopped giving useful service.

Answer 2

they're not sure. basically a three hundred and sixty 5 days or so in the past 2 satellites did collide. whether, each and each satellite tv for pc orbits at diverse heights, diverse dispositions, and the quantity of area obtainable is extensive. the probabilities of collision are minimum. If I shoved fifty satellites into an orbit 450 miles intense separated by using a hundred miles they might shelter that separation incredibly fortuitously except acted upon by using an exterior rigidity. If I positioned 2 satellites into orbits an analogous height yet vulnerable ninety ranges to one yet another their orbital paths might circulate yet, for the reason that they may be shifting on an analogous velocity, in the event that they have been despatched up such that they exceeded the corssing element of the orbit ten minutes aside then they might continuously bypass ten minutes aside. the probabilities of collision are so small that intentionally getting 2 to connect up (such via fact the holiday and the Hubble telescope) demands very a great number of time, gas and precision.

Answer 3

It is very rare, but there was an event in the early 80s, where a Chinese spy sat in an elliptical orbit was going to be "very close" to one of our sciences satellites over the Pacific. We lost all contact with our satellite, and it is *believed* to have collided with the Chinese satellite. China neither confirmed nor denied the loss of their satellite.

The problem isn't really accidental collisions - it's intentional ones. Russia, China, and the US have at least tested anti-sat rockets.

Answer 4

There hasn't been any collisions between satellites, at least collisions revealed to the public. There has been some mightly close calls, and there has been satellites that suddenly broke up in orbit, cause unknown. On one occassion two U.S. Airforce Satellites passed within a 2 miles of each other. The Chinese shot down one of their old defuct satellites with an ICBM topped with a "kill vehicle." I do not know if it was sent into orbit or if it merely intercepted it's target on an sub-orbital trajectory. It is no problem for an technologically advanced country to put satellites into orbit designed to intercept and destroy other satellites by either ramming them or approaching the detonating a warhead near them. What is known is that it totally destroyed it's target by plowing right into it, along with itself. There has however been confirmed collisions between satellites and space junk, with at least one satellite being disabled as a result, thanks to the impact of a shard of metal from an Ariane rocket stage that exploded in orbit years before. If two satellites or a satellite and a piece of space junk do strike each other, they could meet at a velocity of 20,000 mph relative to each other or more. Metals and other materials will melt and vaporize due to the tremendous heat and pressures created in them. The satellites would in fact disintergrate into a swarm of tiny blobs of resolidified metal melted in the impact along with perhaps millions of deadly metal shards that will form a belt of debris around the Earth in a matter of hours of days. After that, the debris will eventually at some time fall back to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere, but it will take decades, centuries or even longer for all of it to be de-orbited by drag from the upper atmosphere, gravity and other forces. Whether it's two satellites or a satellite and space junk crossing paths, the result is a big explosion, then a dangerous cloud of debris that is a threat to anything else in orbit, including astronauts. Many satellites can adjust their orbits and NORAD and other installations are watching everything in orbit around Earth that they can detect, track and identify. If they determine two satellites are going to collide, one of both of them would be commanded to fire thrusters or it's engine to change their orbits and avoid a collision.

Answer 5

it is unlikely that they will collide with each other as each satellite are in their own sycranised orbit
if one did crash into another depending on trajectory it will enter upper atmosphere and mostly burn up but a lot will hit the ground
or going other way will push further into space

Answer 6

All the time. The results can range from negligible damage to either object to the total destruction of both, depending on their relative size, mass, and composition, as well as the angle of impact.

Answer 7

satellite collide in space all the time. that is where the moon got all those craters. that is where earth got formations like the great crater lake. that might be what happened to the dinosaurs.

Answer 8

i don't think so,
scientist set them in different spots in space