The Countries With The Most Satellites in Space
Hello reader!
Below is an interesting article in English posted on
04/03 on the World Economic Forum website highlighting the countries with the
most satellites in Space.
Duda Falcão
The countries with the most satellites in space
By Johnny Wood
Senior Writer, Formative Content
World Economic Forum
04 Mar 2019
Image: REUTERS/Michael Brown
Lift off! |
More than 1,950 active satellites are currently orbiting
Earth, and plenty more could soon be joining them.
Reduced costs and growing competition has seen an
increasing number of commercial satellites reaching Earth’s orbit, which –
unlike national space programmes – don’t recognize national boundaries.
While some countries continue to view space through a
military lens, collaborations such as the International Space Station have
brought nations together to push the boundaries of knowledge about the
universe.
This spirit of cooperation is also giving rise to a new
breed of entrepreneur keen to exploit the untapped potential of the burgeoning
space sector.
The New Space Race
Ambitious private endeavours in development include space
mining operations, and programmes allowing fee-paying tourists to experience
going beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Business is also booming for the growing number of
private firms offering satellite launch capabilities to private clients and
national governments. This has helped the spread of satellite technology to
less wealthy countries without space programmes of their own.
The UCS
Satellite Database, compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a
nonprofit science advocacy group, shows that the United States, as of November
2018, had 830 registered units in orbit. That number almost exceeds the
combined total of the rest of the top ten. China follows with 280, and Russia
is third with 147.
Image: Statista
Surprisingly, Luxembourg operates more active satellites
than large European countries like Germany, Spain and Italy. The principality
recently launched the Luxembourg
Space Agency (LSA), which uses the launch capabilities of industry
partners to encourage entrepreneurs to fulfill their commercial space goals.
Satellites owned by companies heavily outnumber those
used by the military, which reflects a growing trend of the private sector
becoming more involved in space technology.
Bringing Governance to The Final Frontier
The surge in commercial space operations has increased
access to satellite services for all, and fuelled a start-up race for new
entrants to the market.
But the rush to get more hardware into orbit does have
its disadvantages. Orbital
debris, or space junk, can drift for many years and is a potential hazard
for other satellites. There have been several costly collisions which have
resulted in detritus spreading into space.
Another potential problem is radio
frequency interference. When satellites are too close to each other and
transmitting on the same frequency, communications signals can be distorted or
even deliberately jammed.
While a disrupted TV signal may prove inconvenient, lost
scientific data or interference with a military satellite could have more
serious consequences.
To ensure long-term sustainability of outer space
activities, the UN Committee
on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is drawing up best
practice guidelines. Firms, governments and policymakers have a duty to improve
governance in space, which includes helping the industry realize its huge
potential responsibly.
Fonte: Website World Economic Forum - https://www.weforum.org
Comentário: Pois é leitor, como se pode notar infelizmente mesmo tendo o quarto mais antigo programa espacial do mundo, o Brasil não se encontra entre os dez países com mais satélites no espaço. Já o pequeno Luxemburgo e a Argentina estão muito bem nesta lista. Aproveito para agradecer ao nosso leitor Rui Botelho pelo envio deste interessante artigo.
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