SATELLITE CRASHES 'TO SOAR BY 50%' BECAUSE CHEAPER COST OF PRODUCING CRAFT WILL LEAD TO THOUSANDS BE

The launch of 'mega-constellations' of thousands of communication satellites could lead to a rise in collisions and build-up of space junk in Earth's orbit, scientists have warned. A decrease in the cost of the manufacture of satellites is set to lead to the deployment of hundreds or thousands into space from next year, creating a massive rise in the number of active satellites from the 1,300 currently in use. But Dr Hugh Lewis, senior lecture in aerospace engineering at the University of Southampton, has warned a 200-year computer simulation has shown the creation of a mega-constellation could create a 50% increase in the number of 'catastrophic collisions' between satellites. More

(Source: Daily Mail - Apr 18)