Space might be a vacuum, but it certainly isn’t empty. Kongsberg NanoAvionics revealed on Wednesday that one of its MP42 satellites was struck by a tiny unidentified object, speculated to be either space debris or a micrometeoroid. A quarter-inch hole was punched into a solar panel. How did the smallsat company discover the impact? The satellite took a selfie.
NanoAvionics couldn’t tell from telemetry that its 154-pound satellite was struck by anything. The current generated by the damaged solar panel was virtually identical to the output of the pristine panels. Everything appeared fine until an impact hole was spotted in footage captured by an onboard selfie camera this month. It’s unclear when the impact happened because the previous selfie was taken in April 2023.
The topic of space debris typically conjures catastrophic fears of a Kessler Syndrome scenario in which the Earth is cut off from space due to an omnipresent shroud of shattered satellites. While satellite networks are growing in orbit exponentially, efforts are being made to track as much debris as possible, like when a Boeing-built satellite unexpectedly exploded earlier this month.
Aerospace companies also design newer tiny spacecraft to be more resilient and less prone to produce debris. Satellites are more likely to be fitted with thrusters for controlled deorbits, and expendable components are made more brittle or combustible. Bringing the “leave no trust” philosophy people should use in national parks into low Earth orbit.