The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Debris Office published its annual Space Environment Report on Friday 19 July. It points out that more satellites were launched in 2023 than in previous years, and reminds us that the Earth’s orbital environment is a limited resource.
In these conditions, space debris has increased, while “not enough satellites leave these [...] orbits at the end of their lives”. Satellites are at risk of fragmenting into clouds of debris. The report...