Space Debris: The Orbit’s Hidden Threat

Saving Low Earth Orbit

Why debris threatens space—and how we fix it.

Date: October 31, 2025
An Ursa Cortex Blog By Akash Iyer

Introduction

Space debris is a major threat to the space industry, with potential collisions endangering important satellites and rockets. Space debris includes inactive satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments orbiting Earth. With thousands of satellites launching annually — especially with mega-constellations from Starlink — maintaining orbital sustainability now requires global cooperation, active debris removal, and responsible end-of-life policies.

Orbital Debris Mitigation Guidelines

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has published guidelines to strengthen debris mitigation, emphasising that space is a shared and limited environment. These guidelines encourage countries to adopt rules (such as a 25-year post-mission disposal target) and transparency in satellite tracking. However, compliance remains voluntary, raising legal gaps and increasing the urgency of reform as launch frequency accelerates. UNOOSA Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines

Deploying a Practical Solution to Space Debris

Researchers at MIT Space Enabled Lab developed the Space Sustainability Rating (SSR), a scoring system that evaluates how responsibly space organisations conduct their missions. The system measures factors such as collision avoidance, debris prevention, and end-of-life planning. It shows potential in insurance and licensing, suggesting that these metrics could financially incentivise responsible behaviour — an important step toward accountability in orbit management. MIT News: Deploying a Practical Solution to Space Debris

Removing These 50 Objects from Orbit Would Cut Danger in Half

A recent study identifies the 50 most dangerous debris objects — mainly large, defunct rocket bodies — which are responsible for much of the collision risk in low Earth orbit (LEO). Targeting just these items for active removal could markedly reduce long-term risk of orbital debris clouds. Progress is also being made in removal technologies, such as robotic arms and drag-sail systems. The study emphasises that active cleanup — not just regulation — is likely the most effective path to orbital safety. IEEE Spectrum: Kessler Syndrome & Space Debris Threats

Why It Matters: Risks & Responsibilities

As launch rates climb and mega-constellations expand, the orbital environment is becoming congested. Agencies estimate over 140 million debris items greater than 1 mm litter Earth’s orbit — many too small to track, but still able to cause serious damage. IEEE Spectrum

If a major collision triggers a cascade (the so-called “Kessler Syndrome”), it could render key orbital zones unusable for decades. That would impact everything from communications to weather forecasting to future space missions. And because space is a global commons, responsibility spans nations, agencies, and companies.

What Students Can Do

Middle and high school students have a role in this story too:

  • Create a debris timeline: Track key meteoric and artificial collisional events and project how future launches worsen the situation.
  • Build a model: Demonstrate how a “drag sail” or “de-orbit module” could remove debris from orbit in a class project.
  • Advocate for policy: Research how your country engages with space-debris regulation and write letters or blog posts suggesting stronger enforcement.

Conclusion

The growing challenge of space debris is no longer an abstract concept—it’s an urgent engineering, policy, and sustainability question. Agencies and research groups are developing tools, metrics, and technologies to improve orbit safety. But progress depends on cooperation among governments and private companies. By cleaning up the orbit today, we protect the future of space and the benefits it brings to Earth.

References

Published in Ursa Cortex: The Ursa Majors Group Blog