Spacecraft Graveyard of the South Pacific
- Sylvia Rose
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
The Spacecraft graveyard or cemetery in the South Pacific is a disposal site for spacecraft at the end of their lives. Mir space station rests there. The ISS plans to join it. Defunct satellites are also dumped in the ocean graveyard.
This vast expanse of ocean, far from any major landmass, is the designated impact zone for decommissioned spacecraft. Controlled deorbits guide spacecraft and satellites to their final resting place in the SPOUA.
The logic is to minimize risk of uncontrolled re-entry and potential damage on populated areas. But as the space industry booms and more satellites enter orbit, concerns are raised about close and long-term implications.
Known scientifically as “Point Nemo,” this site is 2,688 km from the nearest land. This hopes to ensure the re-entering debris is not a threat to humans.
The most prominent potential resident of the SPOUA is the International Space Station (ISS). The orbiting lab is scheduled for demolition at the end of 2030. Several years of planning go into its deorbit and crashdown.
When bringing a defunct satellite back to Earth, the primary goal is to avoid uncontrolled re-entry. Otherwise pieces of spacecraft survive descent through the atmosphere and potentially cause damage at ground level.
The remote stretch of ocean is about the size of Argentina, is believed statistically to be the safest place on Earth to drop space debris. The process of controlled deorbit uses thrusters to slow the satellite.
It descends into Earth's atmosphere. Friction with air generates intense heat, burning up much of the satellite. Some heavier components, made of heat-resistant materials like titanium, are likely to survive re-entry.
Thus it's guided to fall into the graveyard. A major concern is marine pollution from hazardous materials used in spacecraft.
For instance, hydrazine, a common rocket propellant, is highly toxic. It can leak into the ocean and decimate marine life. Even small amounts of hydrazine can disrupt reproductive systems of fish and other organisms.
The cumulative effect of disposing of spacecraft in this area is not fully understood. Persistent pollution can and will threaten marine biodiversity. For example plastic pollutants accumulate toxins in fish.
Further complicating matters are legalities surrounding the SPOUA. It's in international waters beyond the legal jurisdiction of any single country.
The Outer Space Treaty, enacted by the UN in 1967, states space should benefit all nations and is free from territorial claims.
A significant loophole arises, regarding disposal of spacecraft in the ocean. With the cemetery lying outside any country’s jurisdiction, determining liability for potential damages gets complicated.
Similarly, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea focuses primarily on marine pollution from ships and land-based sources. This also leaves a legal gap regarding deposition of spacecraft debris in the ocean.
Growing Problem of Space Debris
Use of the SPOUA is just one facet of the larger problem of space debris. The majority of space debris is defunct satellites, discarded rocket stages and fragments from collisions and explosions.
The orbital junk is a major threat to operational satellites and future of space exploration. As number of satellites in orbit grows, risk of collisions and creation of more debris increases exponentially (Kessler Syndrome).
As the spacecraft cemetery builds up with obsolete satellites, the problem of space debris increases, with many more junkers to be dumped into the sea in the near future. The ocean already carries the giant Pacific garbage patch.
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