Space Debris Apocalypse

- Overview

What will things look like in orbit if existing plans for satellite megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper come to fruition? It's like an interstate highway where everyone is driving too fast during rush hour in a snowstorm. Except there are multiple interstate highways intersecting each other and no traffic lights.

Yes, low Earth orbit (LEO) is becoming crowded with satellites. As of October 2023, there are at least 5,900 active satellites in low Earth orbit, the most common satellite orbit.

NASA's Orbital Debris Program tracks more than 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit larger than 10 centimeters in diameter, and estimates there are 500,000 objects between 1 centimeter and 10 centimeters in diameter, and more than 100 million particles larger than 1 millimeter. 

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that near-Earth space is littered with 36,500 pieces of space debris larger than 4 inches (10 cm), approximately 1 million objects 0.4 to 4 inches (1 to 10 cm) in size, and 130 million Pieces smaller than 0.4 inches (1 cm).

Increased launch traffic and the persistence of space debris in low Earth orbit are causing a host of problems. When larger objects collide with each other at huge orbital velocities, they create clouds of debris that continue to grow in size.

LEO satellites typically range from about 180 to 2,000 kilometers (110 to 1,240 miles) above the Earth's surface. Because they are relatively close, they reflect sunlight and become visible shortly after sunset or shortly before sunrise.