By: Paige Bennett

Edited by Irma Omerhodzic

Maciej Frolow / Getty Images

Why you can trust us

Quick Key Facts

1. There have been more than 570 events where spacecraft fragmented in Earth’s orbit after an explosion or collision.
2. Space waste has increased by 50% in the past 5 years.
3. Detectable space debris weighs over 8,000 metric tons.
4. There are more than 23,000 objects larger than a softball in Earth’s orbit.
5. Protecting satellites from collisions with space junk makes up about 5% to 10% or more of total mission costs, which are well in the millions per satellite.

What is Space Waste?

Space waste is a problem that goes by many names, including space junk, space pollution and space debris. While space debris technically refers to natural meteoroids as well as human-caused pollution, orbital debris is a term specifically used for human-created waste that now orbits the Earth. 

Space waste has many causes, including abandoned technologies sent into space or fragments of spacecrafts. The issue is becoming a growing problem as space travel increases. Even the tiniest pieces of space junk can damage spacecraft on a mission, and the more we pollute space, the risk of collisions increases.