Over 6,600 Tons of Space Junk Are Floating Around in Earth’s Orbit

Decades of launching satellites into space have created a growing orbital pollution crisis. According to the Annual Space Environment Report from the European Space Agency (ESA), more than 6,600 tons of space debris are currently drifting in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), between 100 and 1,200 miles (160–2,000 km) above Earth’s surface.

That’s an increase from the estimated 6,000 tons reported by NASA in 2023. Although mostly invisible, this debris presents a serious problem, as we rely heavily on satellites for everyday services like navigation, telecommunications, Earth observation, and even defense and security, as ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher explained to DW.

Millions of Tiny But Dangerous Fragments

Space junk is made up of a wide range of objects. These include debris from exploded or collided payloads, components deliberately released during operations (like optical covers or astronaut tools), rocket bodies, engine parts, and fragments created from on-orbit breakups due to impacts, explosions, or wear and tear.

Even the smallest fragments — just a millimeter wide — can severely damage spacecraft and satellites. According to Tiago Soares, lead engineer of ESA’s Clean Space initiative, “a one-centimeter piece of debris has the energy of a hand grenade.”

Currently, there are estimated to be at least 1.2 million pieces of debris larger than 1 cm (0.4 in) orbiting Earth. Each one poses a risk of colliding with other objects, potentially creating hundreds more fragments in a cascading effect known as the Kessler Syndrome.

ESA’s debris simulation tool, MASTER, shows that at around 340 miles (550 km) in altitude, the amount of debris is nearly equal to the number of active satellites.

The total number of objects — along with their combined mass and surface area — has steadily increased since the dawn of the space age, resulting in unintentional collisions between functioning satellites and debris. Rising space traffic, fueled by satellite miniaturization and massive constellations, adds to the growing threat. In 2024 alone, several large fragmentation events and smaller incidents contributed to the tracking of more than 3,000 new objects.

Efforts to Keep Space Clean

Currently, there are no international laws mandating the cleanup of debris in LEO. However, agencies like ESA and industry organizations follow guidelines aimed at minimizing debris generation. These include spacecraft design strategies such as:

• Preventing the release of mission-related objects (like lens caps and deployment parts)

• Using materials and parts that reduce the risk of fragmentation

• Incorporating reliable deployment mechanisms that don’t produce debris

• Designing spacecraft to minimize internal explosion risks

• Including end-of-life disposal plans from the start

• Adding passivation systems to neutralize energy sources (like batteries and fuel tanks) after mission completion

• Ensuring spacecraft can fully burn up upon atmospheric reentry

ESA plans to launch the ClearSpace-1 mission in 2028, aiming to remove the suitcase-sized PROBA-1 satellite from orbit. Built by Swiss company ClearSpace, the 112 kg craft will use four robotic arms to grab debris. Tokyo-based Astroscale also offers similar cleanup services, and both companies have been contracted by the UK Space Agency to remove several defunct British satellites by next year.

If these missions succeed, they will mark some of the first real attempts to clean up space. However, scaling such operations to deal with even a fraction of the massive amount of debris in LEO will be a long and difficult process.

Hopefully, as space launches continue to become cheaper and more accessible, we’ll see more debris removal initiatives — alongside ambitious plans to use satellites for global internet coverage and even space-based solar power.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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