Space debris: A 'ticking time bomb' threatening astronauts and satellites
What's the story
The vast expanse of space offers incredible opportunities for humanity, but it also comes with hidden dangers. One of the most pressing concerns is the growing problem of space junk, a rapidly expanding cloud of debris orbiting Earth at tremendous speeds. Experts from LeoLabs, an orbital mapping company, have warned that the growing amount of debris in orbit could trigger a disaster. Darren McKnight of LeoLabs called the situation a "ticking time bomb" in an interview with Forbes.
Space junk
Earth is surrounded by nearly 30,000 large objects
Today, the Earth is surrounded by nearly 30,000 objects bigger than a softball, all zipping around at incredibly high speeds. This shocking amount of space junk has prompted a pretty pessimistic outlook from LeoLabs. The company's COO, Dan Ceperley, voiced his concerns to Forbes saying, "This grim reality means that collisions are not a question of if but when."
Lethal threat
Space debris poses significant threat to human life
Ceperley emphasized the major threat space debris poses to human life, especially astronauts. He warned, "Any size fragment above a few millimeters is likely lethal to astronauts." Even though LeoLabs has the technology to track objects as small as four inches in diameter, it cannot detect smaller objects, which could be plenty and even more dangerous.
Past incidents
Space junk has already caused damage
While no human casualties have been reported due to space debris, it has already started doing damage. In 2021, a small piece of shrapnel punctured the Canadarm2 robotic arm outside the International Space Station (ISS). McKnight emphasized the dangers in the highest parts of low-Earth orbit where used rocket upper stages from the US and former Soviet Union remain unattended.
Close calls
Near-miss incidents and satellite destruction underscore space junk threat
In June 2022, two upper-stage rockets came dangerously close to each other, missing a major collision by just 500 feet. A Chinese military satellite was also reportedly destroyed by a disintegrating Russian rocket in 2021. These incidents highlight the growing threat posed by space debris. With countries like China actively participating in the space race, the amount of space junk is only expected to grow.