The Manchester tool cutting space satellite crashes

Researchers at the University of Manchester have created a new system that could help stop satellites from crashing into each other in Earth's increasingly crowded orbits.

The tool links what a satellite needs to do, like capturing high‑resolution images, with the collision risks that come with different satellite sizes and altitudes, allowing designers to spot dangers much earlier in the planning process.

With 11,800 active satellites already in orbit and that number expected to rise sharply, the team said this approach could make future missions safer and more sustainable.

University of Manchester's Dr Ciara McGrath said the tool will help keep space "usable for future generations".

The tool is essentially a modelling framework that links two things that have traditionally been handled separately:

Mission performance requirements, (for example how many satellites are needed and at what altitude they should operate) with collision risk in different orbital environments.

By combining these in a single system, the tool would help mission designers understand the trade‑offs between data quality and orbital safety.

Earth-observation satellites have been increasingly relied upon to support efforts to meet the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - which provides data on issues like land use, urban development, ecosystems and disaster response.

The new approach from Manchester's researchers will link mission requirements for image resolution and coverage with satellite size and the amount of satellites in orbit to better prevent collissions and debris.

The size of each satellite greatly impacts the chance of collisions, researchers found.

The study also found that although higher orbits required fewer satellites to achieve coverage, those satellites carried a greater individual collision risk because they are much larger.

Lead author John Mackintosh, PhD researcher at The University of Manchester, said: "Our research addresses what is described as a "space sustainability paradox", the risk that using satellites to solve environmental and social challenges on Earth could ultimately undermine the long-term sustainability of space itself".

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