Space Debris

Space debris or orbital debris, also called space junk, are the objects in orbit around Earth created by man that no longer serve any useful purpose. They consist of:

• Entire or parts of spent rocket stages
• Entire or parts of defunct satellites
• Explosion fragments
• Paint flakes
• Dust and slag from solid rocket motors
• Coolant released by RORSAT nuclear powered satellites
• Other small particles

At closing speeds reaching 50000 km per hour, even the smallest bits of space debris can cause serious harm to spacecraft; larger ones cause catastrophe. Near-Earth missions, like the International Space Station, now carry ever-more sophisticated shielding. Not only is space debris a hot topic, it is also a fascinating − and growing − field of space science.

Evolution of space environment around earth