The selfie taken by the MP42 satellite reveals a 6 mm hole in its solar panel, highlighting the severity of the space debris issue.
The satellite manufacturer NanoAvionics based in Lithuania discovered a small hole in images captured by the camera mounted on the MP42 satellite, as reported by Space on November 6. This satellite has been orbiting Earth since April 2022. The photo was taken by MP42 in late October and was later shared by NanoAvionics on social media platform X.
The MP42 satellite from NanoAvionics with a 6 mm hole in its solar panel flying above the South Pole. (Photo: NanoAvionics).
The company is unclear whether this hole was caused by a small piece of space debris or a micrometeoroid. They also do not know when the impact occurred since the satellite’s camera has not captured any images of the solar panel in the past 18 months. Additionally, the small hole has not resulted in a significant decrease in the solar panel’s power output.
“Whether caused by a micrometeoroid or space debris, this incident underscores the need for responsible space activities and makes us think about the resilience of satellites against such incidents,” stated NanoAvionics.
NanoAvionics operates small spacecraft. The largest satellite they have is the MP42, which weighs 130 kg. Larger structures in orbit, such as the International Space Station (ISS), face a higher risk of collision.
The reason is that there are millions of small pieces of space debris orbiting Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that 130 million pieces of debris ranging from 1 mm to 1 cm are currently orbiting our planet. In 2016, a fragment of such debris created a 40 cm hole in the solar panel of the ESA’s Sentinel 1A satellite. This incident affected the satellite’s ability to generate power, but it later recovered.
Larger debris, though fewer in number, can completely destroy a satellite. According to ESA, over 1,100,000 pieces of debris measuring 1 to 10 cm are orbiting Earth. Additionally, there are 40,500 pieces larger than 10 cm in the surrounding space. Approximately 36,800 of these pieces are trackable, meaning satellite operators can avoid them if they come too close.
NanoAvionics has launched nearly 50 satellites over the past decade. The company reports that they have made several trajectory adjustments to avoid collisions during this time. “Most recently, in 2024, our mission operators executed a series of three activations of the satellite’s electric propulsion system, significantly reducing the probability of collision with other objects,” NanoAvionics stated.
Experts studying space sustainability are concerned about the increasing amount of space debris in Earth’s orbit. A collision between two large defunct objects could create thousands of uncontrollable debris pieces, which could remain in orbit for decades and threaten other spacecraft.
