Over 34,000 Pieces of Debris Larger Than 10 Centimeters Are Orbiting the Earth
The proliferation of space debris in low-Earth orbit poses a growing threat to satellite operations and the safety of space missions. Defined as any human-made object in orbit that no longer serves a functional purpose, space debris includes discarded rocket stages, defunct satellites, and fragments from past collisions. These objects, traveling at velocities exceeding thousands of kilometers per hour, present a significant risk due to their potential for catastrophic collisions with operational spacecraft. An illustrative incident occurred in 2009 when the collision between the U.S. satellite Iridium 33 and the Russian satellite Kosmos 2251 generated over 2,200 pieces of debris larger than five centimeters. Such collisions highlight the vulnerability of space infrastructure to debris impacts and underscore the urgent need for mitigation strategies. NASA estimates that there are currently around 34,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm in low-Earth orbit. This c...
