Space debris is a growing concern nowadays after decades of abusive use of the near-Earth environment. This is emphasized by the already implemented plans of building large on-orbit infrastructures of microsatellite mega-constellations leading to a predictable increase in reentry rates. However, the effect of spacecraft demise on Earth’s atmosphere the long-term impact on the sustainability of the mesosphere and its underlying layers remains unknown.

Aiming at resolving the mechanisms of atmospheric reentry, this research uses a physics model that informs Molecular Dynamics simulations of accurate reentry conditions, addressing the dynamics of low-Earth Orbit reentry and resolving the byproducts generated. Outputs generated include the particle size as a function of altitude.