Loads of New Satellites Joining Earth’s Orbit Amid Space Junk Crisis

Efforts to remove increasing amounts of debris from Earth’s orbit is a big point of concern for the space industry.

Jeremy Kariuki

Wednesday, November 03, 2021 at 09:11 PM ET

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In the past six decades, about 11,000 satellites have been added to Earth’s orbit. Adobe Stock

Key Takeaways:

Space is becoming increasingly crowded with nearly 70,000 new satellites projected to be added, significantly increasing the amount of orbital debris already present.
This overcrowding elevates the risk of high-speed collisions, even from small debris, which can cause catastrophic damage and potentially trigger Kessler Syndrome, rendering critical orbits unusable.
Experts urge immediate action to remove space junk, suggesting governments should lead and fund these costly remediation efforts, as delayed action will only worsen the problem.

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The vast vacuum of space is getting…crowded. Nearly 70,000 satellites may be added to Earth’s orbit in the near future, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

The boom in satellite deployment has likely been caused by increased interest in new markets and the more sophisticated use of satellites for things like worldwide broadband internet.