Almost half of everything orbiting Earth is space junk
Nearly half of all known objects currently orbiting Earth are technically classified as space junk, but the actual amount could be even higher. Additionally, debris continues to accumulate faster than it is removed.
The latest red alert report comes from engineering components company Accu and is based on information compiled from the US Space Surveillance Network and its Space-Track database. According to their assessment, there are at least 12,550 pieces of orbital debris surrounding the planet “without control or purpose.” This represents about 47% of the 33,269 known objects, including almost 17,690 satellites. But with many of those satellites now inactive and nearly 2,400 rocket bodies jettisoned, the total amount of space junk is likely worse than current figures suggest.
Countries are racing to establish a long-term human presence in space and on the Moon, but there are many small issues to consider. Specifically, these issues range from screw size and paint chips to dead satellites. All of this space debris is spinning around the planet at around 17,400 miles per hour, meaning even a small collision could derail an entire mission. In 2016, for example, debris no larger than a few thousandths of a millimeter slammed into one of the International Space Station’s quadruple-glazed domes and left behind a quarter-inch-wide crater.
Digging deeper into the numbers, Accu calculated that there were seven pieces of debris for every ten satellites orbiting Earth. The blame falls almost entirely on three contributors: China generated 34% of the debris, while the United States and the Russia-aligned Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) both contributed about 31% of the debris.
Most abandoned objects orbiting Earth follow a decaying orbit due to the planet’s gravity and will burn up upon atmospheric reentry. But this often takes years and, as Accu points out, it doesn’t always erase the problem. Materials like aluminum, copper, and lithium can vaporize before hitting the ground, but their particles remain in the upper atmosphere. More research is needed to understand the full impact, but evidence already suggests harmful effects on ozone.
So, what do we do to solve the problem? Not much, unfortunately. Accu notes that there are no major projects under development to eliminate space junk, although there are growing investments to at least maintain or reduce the overall problem. The European Space Agency (ESA) is leading the charge with programs like ClearSpace-1, the first active debris collection mission. Meanwhile, a number of private companies are also beginning to implement their own efforts. Technologies such as robotic arms, trailing sails and even harpoons are all being explored as potential ways to solve the problem.
Ultimately, the approximately 15,550 tons of space debris currently overhead are literally not going anywhere anytime soon. That’s about the same weight as 40 jumbo jets, and the figure is only growing. Accu’s report is not intended to offer concrete solutions, but rather to highlight that this is a very real problem that requires international coordination and efforts to control it. Without it, humanity will have a much harder time exploring the cosmos.
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