Space Junk

The amount of trash in Earth orbit, from spent rocket stages, broken satellites and micrometeoroids, is growing. Scientists are working on methods to combat the threat of space junk and orbital debris collisions.

Related Topics: International Space Station, Incredible Space Tech, Military Space, NASA

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The European Space Agency's Drag Augmentation Deorbiting System Nano (ADEO-N) — a 3.6-square-meter aluminum-coated polyamide membrane attached to four metallic booms — successfully deployed from a cubesat in Earth orbit to demonstrate satellite-deorbiting tech.

ESA successfully unfurls sail to drag spacecraft out of orbit

By Andrew Jones published

The European Space Agency has successfully unfurled a sail aboard a used cubesat to help drag the spacecraft down into Earth's atmosphere and out of orbit.

Artist's illustration of a satellite breakup in Earth orbit.

Mysterious Russian satellite breaks up in orbit, generating cloud of debris

By Mike Wall published

The mysterious Russian satellite Kosmos 2499 broke apart in early January, and the U.S. Space Force is already tracking 85 pieces of debris from the incident.

Some chunks of space junk recovered in Australia were later identified as leftovers from SpaceX's Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station, which launched in November 2020 and returned to Earth in May 2021.

How fallen space junk could aid the fight against orbital debris

By Leonard David published

Analysis of space junk that has fallen to Earth could help researchers design rockets and spacecraft that break up more completely during the reentry process.

An illustration of Earth orbit overcrowded with space junk and orbital debris.

2 big pieces of space junk nearly collide in orbital 'bad neighborhood'

By Brett Tingley published

Satellite monitoring and collision detection firm LeoLabs spotted a near-miss between a defunct Soviet rocket body and dead spy satellite that passed within about 20 feet (6 meters) of one another.

NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Satellite in an artist view and on the end of the space shuttle Challenger's robotic arm.

A dead NASA satellite from the 1980s just fell to Earth to meet its fiery demise

By Tariq Malik published

A vintage NASA satellite launched in the 1980s and long-since turned to space junk met a fiery fate late Sunday as it fell back to Earth, NASA says.

NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Satellite on the end of the space shuttle Challenger's robotic am in 1984 during deployment.

Dead NASA satellite will crash to Earth on Jan. 8

By Mike Wall published

A defunct NASA satellite is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere on Sunday evening (Jan. 8), but there's little to fear from the 5,400-pound hunk of space junk.

A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launching with mountains in the background.

China's last launch of 2022 sparks falling rocket debris warning from Philippine Space Agency

By Leonard David published

China's last space launch of 2022, which lifted off on Thursday (Dec. 29), has prompted a warning of falling rocket debris from the Philippine Space Agency.

The Russian-built Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked at the International Space Station above a blue Earth.

Hole in leaky Russian Soyuz spacecraft not caused by Geminid meteor

By Mike Wall published

It's still unclear why a Russian Soyuz spacecraft at the International Space Station sprang a leak last week, but one suspect has been ruled out: a strike by a Geminid meteor.

An astronaut during a spacewalk.

Russian space debris forces space station to dodge, delays US spacewalk

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

A piece of Russian space junk forced NASA to call off a spacewalk and the International Space Station to dodge out of the way on Wednesday (Dec. 21).

Launch of the second Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan spaceport on Nov. 11, 2022, carrying the Yunhai 3 satellite into orbit.

Chinese rocket body disintegrates into big cloud of space junk

By Andrew Jones published

Part of a Chinese rocket that launched the Yunhai 3 satellite last month is now a debris cloud of around 350 pieces.

A Long March 6A rocket on the pad at Taiyuan spaceport in November 2022, ahead of launch of the Yunhai 3 satellite.

Chinese rocket body breaks up in orbit after successful satellite launch

By Andrew Jones published

A Chinese rocket body broke up in orbit after launching on Friday (Nov. 11) and is now in more than 50 pieces, adding to the threat of space debris in Earth orbit.

A Long March 5B rocket launches Tianhe, the core module of China's new space station, on April 28, 2021.

Should we really be worried about China's uncontrolled rocket booster reentries?

By Ben Turner published

The rocket had been circling the Earth since Halloween

Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, speaks during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on April 21, 2021 in Washington, DC.

China's latest giant rocket debris crash blasted by US and European space chiefs

By Brett Tingley published

The heads of NASA and the European Space Agency have issued statements condemning the latest example of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket booster falling to Earth in an uncontrolled reentry.

Map of possible trajectories for falling Chinese space junk showing a South Pacific impact

Whew! 23-ton Chinese rocket debris falls to Earth over Pacific Ocean

By Brett Tingley last updated

A 23-ton rocket body from China's launch of a Long March 5B rocket has fallen safely into the south-central Pacific Ocean after creating questions over where it will come down once again.

A Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket and the Mengtian space lab at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on October 25, 2022 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China.

A 23-ton Chinese rocket will fall to Earth Friday. But when and where will it land?

By Mike Wall last updated

A huge hunk of Chinese space junk is expected to crash back to Earth on Friday (Nov. 4), but nobody knows exactly where or when it will come down.

A Long March 5B rocket carrying the Mengtian module for China's Tiangong space station launches on Oct. 31, 2022.

China's falling Long March 5B rocket stage spotted from space (photos)

By Andrew Jones published

A large Chinese rocket stage predicted to make an uncontrolled reentry into Earth's atmosphere on Friday (Nov. 4) has been imaged by an orbiting satellite.

This NASA graphic depicts the amount of space junk orbiting Earth. The debris field is based on data from NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office. Image released on May 1, 2013.

Getting space junk under control may require an attitude shift

By Leonard David last updated

It's important to start taking action against space junk now, experts say, because Earth orbit is only going to get more congested.

A Chinese Long March 5B rocket carrying the Mengtian space station module rolls out to the launch pad on Oct. 25, 2022.

Chinese launch next week will set stage for another big space-junk crash

By Leonard David published

The Long March 5B rocket expected to launch China's Mengtian module on Oct. 31 will likely fall back to Earth uncontrolled a week or so later.

The International Space Station took evasive action to avoid a piece of space junk on Oct. 24, 2022.

International Space Station dodges space debris from Russian anti-satellite test

By Brett Tingley published

A cargo ship attached to the International Space Station fired its thrusters for five minutes Monday night (Oct. 24) to dodge a fragment of the destroyed Russian satellite Cosmos 1408.

An illustration of satellites and debris orbiting Earth.

Climate change keeps space debris afloat longer

By Tereza Pultarova published

Changes in Earth's atmosphere resulting from climate change are working against efforts to clean dangerous debris out of orbit around Earth.