Modeling Kessler Syndrome and its Impact on LEO Infrastructure

Kessler Syndrome is a possibility in which the density of satellites and space debris orbiting in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) becomes too high. Satellites and space debris collide, creating more space debris, and cascading collisions generate a dense cloud of debris around Earth, making orbits in LEO unusable. Right now, there are thousands of satellites at risk of collision with space debris, which has the potential to start a cascade of collisions. Additionally, destroyed satellites can cause a major economic impact within the telecommunications and space industry, especially those dependent on satellites in LEO. The goal of this project is to model the effects of Kessler Syndrome on hypothetical LEO infrastructure. It will also help raise awareness to encourage space agencies to find solutions to reduce the likelihood of this scenario. The project will be modeled using Python and visualized using Godot Engine, and extra resources may be necessary to run computationally heavy simulations across long timescales. The simulation will act like Conway’s Game of Life, where space objects follow simple rules and exhibit emergent behavior. The simulation experiences Kessler Syndrome when the average lifetime of satellites significantly decreases or when the number of space debris around LEO exceeds a certain point.