Damaged satellite illustrates danger of space debris

A damaged solar panel on a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite is highlighting the dangers of space debris for military satellites.

The solar panel on the Copernicus Sentinel-1A satellite was hit by a millimeter-size particle on Aug. 23, according to an ESA announcement. The impact caused a small but abrupt power loss in the satellite, which was orbiting at an altitude of 435 miles. So far, there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage to the satellite.

"Such hits, caused by particles of millimeter size, are not unexpected," said Holger Krag, who heads the ESA's Space Debris Office. "These very small objects are not trackable from the ground, because only objects greater than about 5 centimeters can usually be tracked and, thus, avoided by maneuvering the satellites."

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