Key takeaway: The growing number of satellites and launches is creating more debris in orbit, and space debris is a growing risk to operational satellites — a risk the industry must actively manage through tracking, avoidance, and responsible design.
Why Space Debris Is Growing
The number of satellites and launches has grown dramatically, and with it the amount of debris in orbit. Debris includes defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions and explosions. As more objects are launched, the risk of collisions grows, and each collision can create more debris.
This is a growing problem because the debris does not go away on its own — it stays in orbit for years or decades, and it poses a risk to every operational satellite that shares its orbit. A collision with even a small piece of debris can disable a satellite.
The Risks of Space Debris
| Risk | What it means |
|---|---|
| Collision | Debris hitting an operational satellite |
| Cascade | Collisions creating more debris |
| Cost | Avoiding debris costs fuel and time |
| Loss | A satellite can be disabled or destroyed |
The risks of space debris include collision — debris hitting an operational satellite; cascade — collisions creating more debris, which creates more collisions; cost — satellites must use fuel and time to avoid debris; and loss — a satellite can be disabled or destroyed by a collision.
How the Industry Manages It
The industry manages space debris through tracking — monitoring debris and predicting collisions; avoidance — manoeuvring satellites to avoid predicted collisions; and responsible design — building satellites that can be deorbited at the end of their life, so they do not become debris. These measures reduce the risk, but they do not eliminate it.
The challenge is that the debris already in orbit cannot be easily removed, and the growing number of launches adds more. Managing the risk requires ongoing effort and cooperation across the industry.
The Bottom Line
Understand that space debris is a growing risk the industry must manage, since the growing number of satellites and launches is creating more debris in orbit, and debris poses a risk to every operational satellite. The industry manages the risk through tracking, avoidance, and responsible design — building satellites that can be deorbited — but the debris already in orbit cannot be easily removed, so managing the risk requires ongoing effort and cooperation.
