According to NewAtlas, there are now more than 6,600 tons of space junk floating around Earth. This space trash is becoming a big problem. The European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and several companies are planning to clean up this mess. Right now in 2024, there are at least 1.2 million pieces of space junk larger than 1 centimeter (about the size of your fingertip). These pieces float in what we call Low Earth Orbit, which is about 100 – 1,200 miles (161 – 1931.21 Km) above our planet.
What exactly is space junk? It’s any human-made object in space that no longer works or serves a purpose. Think of it as trash, but in space.
- Old, broken satellites that don’t work anymore
- Used rocket parts left behind after launches
- Small things like bolts and tools dropped by astronauts
- Tiny paint flecks (smaller than 1 mm) – about 130 million of these
- Medium pieces (1 mm to 10 cm) – most dangerous and numerous
- Large objects (bigger than 10 cm) – about 36,500 of these
You might think small pieces of junk aren’t a big problem. But in space, even tiny bits can cause serious damage. Here’s why:
- Space junk travels at speeds up to 17,000 miles per hour (27,358.85 KMPH) (that’s about 25 times faster than a bullet)
- At these speeds, even a small piece can punch holes in satellites or spacecraft
- Damage can cause explosions or make important systems stop working
- With over 1.2 million pieces this size, the risk of hitting something gets bigger every year
- When pieces hit each other, they create even more pieces (like a chain reaction)
Several organizations are working to solve this growing problem. Josef Aschbacher, the ESA Director General, and Tiago Soares, an ESA Clean Space Office lead engineer, are pushing for solutions. Companies like ClearSpace from Switzerland and Astroscale from Tokyo are building special spacecraft to remove junk. The UK Space Agency is also helping with funding and support.
| Organization | Planned Mission | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| ClearSpace (Swiss company) | ClearSpace-1 mission | Planned for 2028 |
| Astroscale (Tokyo company) | Satellite debris removal | Planned for next year |
| ESA | Supporting ClearSpace-1 | Ongoing through 2028 |
These cleanup missions will use spacecraft with special “claw” mechanisms to grab pieces of space junk. Once grabbed, the junk can be pulled down toward Earth where it will burn up in our atmosphere. But there’s another important part: preventing new junk. Engineers are designing new satellites to minimize debris by turning off power sources at the end of missions and building spacecraft that completely burn up when they fall back to Earth.
Cleaning up space is extremely difficult and will take a long time. Here’s why:
- There are too many pieces to clean up quickly
- Junk moves very fast, making it hard to catch
- Small pieces are difficult to track
- Cleanup missions are very expensive (much more than $10,000 (~₹8,55,792) per piece)
- There are no international laws that force countries to clean up their space junk
- Experts say we need to remove about 5 large pieces per year just to keep the problem from getting worse
- At that rate, it will take decades to make space safer
The problem is getting worse because more satellites are being launched every year. Technology is getting smaller, allowing more satellites to go to space. Without good cleanup plans and international rules, our orbit could become too dangerous for important satellites that we use for weather forecasting, GPS, and communications. This is why the work of ESA, NASA, and companies like ClearSpace and Astroscale is so important for our future in space.
