Space debris refers to non-functional artificial objects orbiting Earth, including defunct satellites, rocket parts, and fragments from past space missions. Most debris resides in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and travels at speeds of 7–8 km/s, posing significant collision risks to satellites and spacecraft.

• There are an estimated 130 million pieces (1 mm–1 cm) and over 36,000 objects larger than 10 cm in orbit.

Notable incidents include:

• 1996: French satellite Cerise hit by debris from a French rocket.
• 2009: US Iridium 33 collided with Russian Kosmos 2251, generating ~2,300 new debris pieces.
• 2007: China’s anti-satellite test created over 3,500 trackable debris fragments.

The surge in LEO launches has worsened the problem:

• Over 1,300 satellites launched in 2020, 1,400+ in 2021
• As of March 2022, more than 8,500 objects are tracked in orbit (UN data)