Currently, more than 14,000 satellites, about 3,500 of which are no longer operational, along with 120 million pieces of space junk orbit Earth in low orbit. This debris comes from rocket launches, collisions or the wear and tear of equipment over time, of which only a few are large enough to be tracked.
A recent United Nations committee on space traffic coordination highlighted the urgency of the issue, calling for a common database of objects in orbit and an international legal framework to track and manage them. However, there are many barriers to getting countries to adopt a centralized system. Some countries worry that sharing data could compromise national security, especially when satellites have dual purposes, including military ones.
Meanwhile, the space junk problem is getting worse. A Chinese rocket explosion in August 2024 created thousands of pieces of space debris. Earlier, in June, a defunct Russian satellite exploded, sending debris that forced astronauts on the International Space Station to take emergency shelter for an hour.
Low Earth orbit, especially at altitudes of 540-570 km, is home to the highest concentration of man-made objects. It is an ideal area for the rapidly growing commercial space industry, thanks to its low cost and proximity to Earth. However, data shows that the number of close satellite encounters has increased by 17% in the past year, signaling an increased risk of collision.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites alone had more than 6,700 deployed as of November 2024. In the first half of the year, those satellites performed nearly 50,000 collision avoidance maneuvers, double the number in the previous six months. The European Space Agency (ESA) also reported a three- to four-fold increase in the number of collision avoidance maneuvers per spacecraft compared to the past.
Additionally, decommissioned satellites often remain in orbit for years before re-entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up. Others are moved to "graveyard" orbits about 36,000 kilometers above Earth.
Activities like Russia’s November 2021 missile test to destroy a defunct satellite created thousands of pieces of debris, increasing the risk of collision. The move not only drew widespread criticism but also highlighted the urgent need for global rules to govern space.
Conflicts between countries have been escalating recently and establishing common global regulations is essential to maintain safety in space, said Anirudh Sharma, an expert at Digantara.
