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Technical

Casualty Risk

The probability of a human casualty resulting from uncontrolled spacecraft re-entry.

Casualty risk assessment is required for uncontrolled re-entries.

Threshold

  • Generally <1 in 10,000 (10⁻⁴)
  • Higher thresholds require controlled re-entry

Mitigation

  • Design for demise
  • Material selection
  • Early structural breakup