2026-09-14 11:21 UTC
Space debris by the numbers from the ESA Space Environment Report 2026.
- The number and scale of commercial satellite constellations continue to increase each year.
- Not enough satellites leave heavily congested orbits at the end of their lives, creating a growing collision risk.
- 10 new payloads are launched daily. ~3 intact satellites or rocket bodies reenter the Earth’s atmosphere daily.
This is just the beginning.
🤔
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/ESA_Space_Environment_Report_2026
https://www.sdo.esoc.esa.int/environment_report/Space_Environment_Report_latest.pdf
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Replies (1)
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@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 2026-09-14 11:28
ESA Space Environment Report 2026. - The expected number of objects and collisions in low-Earth orbit are skyrocketing in a runaway effect. - The ESA Space Environment Health Index indicates whether our current behaviour in space is sustainable in the long run. In 2025, the long-term effect of our current activities in space over time got an order of magnitude worse in just one year. 🙁 https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/ESA_Space_Environment_Report_2026 2/n