What is space debris?

Space debris, also known as space junk, refers to man-made objects in Earth's orbit that no longer serve any useful purpose. It can include anything from spent rocket stages and broken satellites to nuts and bolts that have been accidentally released during missions. As more and more countries launch satellites and engage in space activities, the amount of space debris has increased dramatically.

Space debris poses a significant threat to active satellites, spacecraft, and even astronauts. Collisions with space debris can cause serious damage or even complete destruction of the objects they hit. To mitigate the risk of such collisions, space agencies and companies track the larger pieces of space debris and try to maneuver their spacecraft out of harm's way when necessary.

However, smaller pieces of debris, often too small to be tracked, can still cause damage. The accumulation of space debris over time also creates a self-perpetuating cycle, as collisions create even more debris. This cycle, known as the Kessler Syndrome, could eventually render certain orbits unusable and pose a significant risk to future space activities.

Efforts are underway to mitigate the amount of space debris and its potential dangers. Some proposed solutions include actively removing space debris from orbit, improving spacecraft designs to minimize debris, and launching spacecraft with the ability to deorbit themselves at the end of their useful lives.