At this very moment, there are thousands of pieces of space junk orbiting Earth that are large enough to pose a threat to both satellites and spacecraft alike. In order to monitor the space junk, Japan is planning to build and launch a military space force within the next five years which will be given the task of protecting satellites from space debris.
The debris orbiting Earth is starting to become a major problem for space travel. NASA estimates that there are more than 500,000 pieces of space junk orbiting Earth at speeds exceeding 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) per hour. At those speeds, even a piece of debris as small as a golf ball could smash a large satellite to pieces.
It’s for this reason that Japan’s decision to allocate a portion of its national defense to cleaning up Earth will come as a welcome development for engineers. The move comes shortly after Japan’s decision to allow military activities in space back in 2008.
The space force will be made in conjunction with the United States as the two countries seek to cooperate in space, which has been referred to as the “fourth battlefield”. The unit will utilize radar and telescope facilities jointly with the Japanese Aerospace Exploation Agency (JAXA) and the Japanese science ministry to run its observatory operations.
Read more about the story at Gizmodo.
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