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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a streak of fire in the sky

Watch likely Chinese rocket body burn up over Texas (video)

By Brett Tingley published

A video of a fireball streaking across the sky likely shows a Chinese rocket section that burned up in the atmosphere above Texas on March 7.

the international space station as photographed while looking down at Earth

International Space Station fires thrusters to dodge space junk

By Brett Tingley published

The International Space Station (ISS) had to perform a debris avoidance maneuver to dodge yet another piece of space junk on Tuesday (March 14).

A Long March 2D rocket lifts off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center carrying three Yaogan 35 (02) satellites on June 22, 2022. The rocket's upper stage fell to Earth over Texas on March 7, 2023.

Chinese rocket stage crashes to Earth over Texas

By Andrew Jones published

The second stage of a Chinese Long March 2D rocket that launched last year reentered Earth's atmosphere on March 7 as it passed over Texas.

There are more than 100 missions to the Moon planned in the coming years, including the next Artemis missions.

More lunar missions means more space junk around the moon. Two scientists are building a catalog to track the trash.

By Vishnu Reddy published

Scientists and government agencies have been worried about the space junk surrounding Earth for decades. But humanity's starry ambitions are farther reaching than the space just around Earth.

an illustration depicting many large pieces of metallic garbage orbiting the Earth

NASA scientists push for a treaty to tackle risky 'space junk'

By Robert Lea published

As humanity increasingly fills the space around Earth with satellites, scientists have urged for an international treaty that could tackle the orbital debris these operations generate.

The International Space Station photographed by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking on Oct. 4, 2018.

International Space Station fires thrusters to avoid collision with satellite

By Josh Dinner published

The International Space Station (ISS) had to maneuver out of the way of an Earth-imaging satellite on Monday (March 6).

artist's impression of satellite dishes on the moon's surface with the earth in the background

We need more rules for space junk and moon bases, NASA and US officials say

By Elizabeth Howell published

New space rules will need to come fast to support commercial space stations and moon settlements, and guard against swiftly-growing space debris.

Operational and defunct satellite in geostationary orbit.

How many satellites can we safely fit in Earth orbit?

By Tereza Pultarova published

Experts have been sounding alarm bells for years that Earth orbit is getting a bit too crowded. So how many satellites can we actually launch to space before it gets to be too much?

An illustration of a object breaking up in Earth's orbit.

6 types of objects that could cause space debris apocalypse

By Tereza Pultarova published

Thousands of satellites and millions of out-of-control space debris fragments hurtle high above our heads, threatening to collide. Here are the objects that experts fear the most.

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.