What is Space Junk?

As long as humans have been exploring space, we've also been creating a bit of a mess. Orbiting our planet are thousands of dead satellites, along with bits of debris from all the rockets we've launched over the years. This could pose an issue one day.

Why are we so intent on exploring space when we have so many problems right here on Earth? From resource management, to multispectral imaging, to radar mappers, our space-based tools can help us solve Earth-based problems. Soon, armadas of small satellites will connect the world by bringing the internet to everybody.

As we are realizing the benefits of our orbiting workforce, however, we must also be proactive in mitigating the rapid proliferation of space debris – so we don’t end up with a problem on the scale of air or ocean pollution before we even have the chance to inhabit the next frontier.

Space junk, or space debris, is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space. It can refer to big objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of their mission. It can also refer to smaller things, like bits of debris or paint flecks that have fallen off a rocket.

While there are about 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are also 3,000 dead ones littering space. What's more, there are around 34,000 pieces of space junk bigger than 10 centimeters in size and millions of smaller pieces that could nonetheless prove disastrous if they hit something else.

Earth’s orbital space is vast, and there are only about 5,000 active satellites. But it’s estimated that there might be millions of pieces of space junk circling our planet — from entire stages of rockets, which can weigh several tons, to inactive satellites, lost bits of space equipment, stray nuts and bolts, and the broken fragments of orbital collisions.

Most of those pieces are tiny — smaller than a nickel. But they’re orbiting at more than 15,000 mph, and experts estimate there are about 30,000 pieces of space junk large enough and fast enough to be a serious problem — and potentially a disaster.

By making sure that satellites are removed from orbit in a reasonable amount of time once they are no longer active, we can mitigate the problem of space junk in the future.

Earth's orbit allows us to study our planet, send communications and more. It's important that we use it sustainably, allowing future generations to enjoy its benefits, too.