Alpha, one of three satellites in the European Space Agency's Swarm constellation, emerged unscathed from the close encounter.
The satellite was in the midst of having to execute 25 maneuvers over a span of 10 weeks to reach a higher orbit, placing Alpha in a position away from the Sun as the star goes through a period of increased activity. The Sun goes through an 11-year cycle, during which its solar activity builds up to a maximum before settling back down.
This was a close call for ESA’s Swarm mission, forcing ground control to move the satellite out of the way and into an orbit that doesn’t put it at risk of colliding with another satellite. The team later had to calculate the best way of bringing Alpha back into its orbit while using as little fuel as possible and without losing precious science data. That’s pretty impressive for justAdvertisement
Space debris is an increasing concern for space agencies and private companies as more rockets and satellites are sent up into Earth orbit. More than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris are currently being by the Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network, with lots of smaller pieces also floating around undetected.
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