The Complete Guide to Space Junk and How it is a Threat to Earth

By Michael Jumba

What is Space Junk?

Space debris, also known as space junk, is all the man-made objects in Earth’s orbit that are no longer being used. These include old satellites and spacecraft, spent rocket stages, and pieces of space stations. Space debris is a serious problem because it can collide with other pieces of debris and create even more debris. This would create a chain reaction that could eventually put human exploration in space at risk.The two main sources for space debris are collisions between satellites or spacecraft and explosions caused by the release of fuel from a satellite or spacecraft.

What are the Effects of Space Junk on Earth?

Space junk is a term used to describe the large amount of man-made objects that are currently in orbit around Earth. It includes old satellites, abandoned spacecrafts, and rocket stages.The most common type of space junk is the inactive satellite. These are usually left in orbit when they stop working or their mission has ended.Space junk can be dangerous because it can collide with other objects in space and create more debris which can cause more collisions or damage to satellites and spacecrafts. 

How Can We Prevent the Growth of Space Junk?

The space junk problem is becoming a serious issue. There are currently more than 20,000 pieces of space junk that orbit the earth, and this number is growing by more than 1,000 per year.

The first step in solving the space junk problem is to identify what it actually is. Space junk can be defined as any man-made object in orbit that no longer serves a useful purpose. This includes objects such as old satellites and spent rocket boosters.A possible solution to the space junk problem would be to create a “space fence” around Earth that would prevent new pieces of space trash from entering orbit and adding to the problem.

The Future of Space Junk and How It Affects Us All

Space junk is the name for all man-made objects in orbit around the Earth. The junk includes old satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments of disintegrated spacecrafts.

The problem with space junk is that it poses a danger to satellites and other spacecrafts. For example, in 2009, a US satellite was hit by debris from an old Russian military satellite. In 2017, China destroyed one of its own satellites with a missile test which created 2 thousand pieces of space debris.

Since 1960 there has been an exponential increase in the amount of space junk orbiting Earth. This has led to the creation of two new branches of science: Space Debris Engineering and Orbital Debris Engineering which are dedicated to minimizing or mitigating the effects that space junk has on us all on Earth.