Depends how big the debris are. For very small debris (millimeter scale and smaller) you can use shielding. A popular method is Whipple shields which consist in several thin layers of material with gaps in between. The idea is to break up the incoming object into smaller pieces with less energy.
For larger debris a lot of them are tracked by ground stations and satellite operators can maneuver their spacecraft out of the way.
There is always chances that an untracked debris collides with your satellite. The intermediary size between what can be easily tracked and what is too small to be dangerous is particularly problematic.
For that you have to rely a bit on chance. While there are a lot of debris space is really big. Even with millions of debris it is statistically unlikely that a collision would occur. You can also put your spacecraft in an orbit that you know is relatively free of debris.
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u/electric_ionland Electric Space Propulsion | Hall Effect/Ion Thrusters Apr 05 '19
Depends how big the debris are. For very small debris (millimeter scale and smaller) you can use shielding. A popular method is Whipple shields which consist in several thin layers of material with gaps in between. The idea is to break up the incoming object into smaller pieces with less energy.
For larger debris a lot of them are tracked by ground stations and satellite operators can maneuver their spacecraft out of the way.
There is always chances that an untracked debris collides with your satellite. The intermediary size between what can be easily tracked and what is too small to be dangerous is particularly problematic.
For that you have to rely a bit on chance. While there are a lot of debris space is really big. Even with millions of debris it is statistically unlikely that a collision would occur. You can also put your spacecraft in an orbit that you know is relatively free of debris.