Space Junk

As the number of satellites in orbit increase, so will the possibilities of space debris. There are currently 8,000 satellites in orbit, but hundreds of thousands more are being proposed.

The magnolia wood LignoSat is an attempt to make space junk biodegradable. NASA and Japan's space agency (JAXA) could launch it as soon as 2024.

The National Space Council has released a draft bill that would split the regulation of novel space activities between two departments: Transportation and Commerce.

The International Space Station moved away from space debris on Friday (Nov. 10), Russian space officials said, hours before a SpaceX cargo ship aims to arrive.

French startup ThrustMe just announced a jump in orders for its in-space propulsion systems, which could indicate a shift toward a more sustainable space environment.

SpaceX has asked the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to correct a report warning that components from reentering Starlink constellation satellites could injure or even kill people on the ground.

Scientists have detected the presence of air pollutants from burning space junk in the upper layers of Earth's atmosphere.

A network of space-based lasers could help nudge debris away from collision courses with the International Space Station, according to new research.

Recent filings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) show nations worldwide have registered licenses for planned megaconstellations much larger than SpaceX's Starlink.

A new federally funded space junk project aims to detect and monitor tiny pieces of debris, which are currently untrackable.

Engineers suggest giving satellites launched into space a designated 'parking spot' to prevent accidents and make space more equitable.

Astroscale just scored up to $80 million from the Japanese government to develop a demonstration mission that will study a large, dead satellite in orbit.

The United States government has handed out its first-ever fine to a private company that left space debris in orbit.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a rule that would limit the amount of time that rockets' upper stages stay in orbit.

Two big pieces of space junk almost slammed into each other in low Earth orbit, highlighting the need to clear up space close to home.

Firefly Aerospace launched the Victus Nox mission for the U.S. Space Force on Thursday night (Sept. 14), just 27 hours after receiving the liftoff order.

Greater efforts are needed to make valuable orbits sustainable, according to a new report from the European Space Agency.

Tiny devices on satellites could soon track small pieces of space debris that are invisible to existing space junk monitoring systems but capable of destroying spacecraft if they collide with it.

There's a lot of trash on the moon right now – including nearly 100 bags of human waste. But whose responsibility is it to clean it up?

Space debris is becoming a major issue for both private companies and space agencies. But estimates of how much troublesome litter is actually in orbit are daunting and tricky to make.