ESA Space Environment Report: Increasing satellites and space debris

Things are getting tight in space. More and more satellites are orbiting the earth. A rocket launches every day, often bringing ten or more new satellites into orbit.

Last year there were already 4,000 new payloads that were transported into Earth orbit using 300 rockets. The reason for the increase is primarily commercial satellite constellations such as Starlink from SpaceX or Leo from Amazon, but also from Chinese operators.

On average, only three satellites crash every day and burn up in the atmosphere. At the same time, the number of stray space debris and the risk of collisions continue to increase. The rubble includes burned-out upper stages, disused satellites and various fragments. That is the conclusion of this year's space environment report from the European Space Agency ESA.