Artistic rendition of space debris in orbit around Earth
(Image Source: GoodFon.com; https://tinyurl.com/5fj2psyt)
By Lucas Wood-Gluck
The lack of attention by U.S. policymakers on the threat posed by space debris is an existential challenge to orbital infrastructure, such as military reconnaissance, and humanity’s long-term potential as a space-faring species.
As the security and commercial importance of Earth’s orbit continues to grow, so too does the national security threat posed by space debris. The European Space Agency defines space debris as all non-functional, human-made objects in orbit or reentering Earth’s atmosphere.[i] Space debris pose significant physical risks to U.S. and allied satellites and spacecraft responsible for weather forecasting, wildfire monitoring, GPS navigation, communications, intelligence gathering, and even humanity’s prospects as a space-faring species. As a result, the United States should more heavily prioritize space debris as a contemporary and future national security challenge.
Space debris is generated from but not limited to parts of launch vehicles and rocket bodies, non-functional satellites, and even tools lost by astronauts.[ii] Since the late 2010s, there has been a meteoric rise in objects sent into orbit from about 241 launched in 2014 to approximately 2,849 in 2024. Approximately eighty percent of launches in 2024 were of U.S. origin.[iii] SpaceX, for example, is reported to have “performed more orbital launches than the rest of the world combined” in 2024 and has been awarded numerous multi-billion dollar contracts with the U.S. federal government for its services.[iv] This rise can be attributed to “growing global demand for information services, the greater availability of capital compared to previous eras of commercial satellite growth, the increasing affordability of access to space launch, and greater economies of scale.”[v]
As a result of the continuously growing intersection between spacecraft, business, and national security, the more than nine thousand metric tons of space debris pose an unsustainable risk to satellites and the services they provide.[vi] A collision from a one-centimeter particle travelling ten kilometers a second releases the same energy as a small car crashing at forty kilometers an hour.[vii] Thus, the physical vulnerability of satellites in orbit has an outsized impact on daily life back on Earth. Additionally, satellite producers often overlook how to properly de-orbit old satellites, leaving them to float aimlessly once their usefulness is at an end. This negligence not only adds to the debris count, but large satellites specifically can also survive atmospheric re-entry and strike Earth’s surface.[viii]
One of the most frightening consequences of space debris, however, is the Kessler Syndrome, an upper limit to the amount of space debris in orbit at any point in time.[ix] If that limit is exceeded, then debris can continuously collide with itself until Earth’s orbit is blanketed by junk that prevents new spacecraft from escaping the atmosphere. Experts are divided on what that upper limit is, but there is a possibility that the Kessler Syndrome could come into effect this century – especially if one distinguishes between a “physical” and an “economic” Kessler Syndrome. The latter refers to firms deeming the launching of new satellites too unprofitable due to space debris prior to the onset of the “physical” Kessler Syndrome.[x] Not only would the commercial and national security viability of Earth’s orbit disappear instantly, but so too would Earth’s chances of becoming a space-faring species.
Consequently, a concerted effort to prevent and remove as much debris as possible from Earth’s orbit should become a top priority among policymakers. Previous attempts in the U.S. Congress to pass relevant legislation, such as ORBITS Acts of 2024 which “specified agencies to take actions to remediate orbital debris,” have failed to make it to the President’s desk, possibly due to a lack of urgency and awareness on the topic.[xi] While these are necessary steps, the academic literature provides inspiration for potential action; for example, a paper from 2020 highlighted the results of a mission called RemoveDEBRIS which successfully demonstrated the use cases of a net, harpoon, and dragsail for removing space debris.[xii] Likewise, in March 2023 NASA released the most comprehensive financial analysis to date on space debris and suggested that lasers “have the potential to be the lowest cost and most scalable method of reducing the risks posed by orbital debris” with the added benefit that “they are the only remediation approach that appears capable of remediating trackable and non-trackable debris.”[xiii]
In a time of unprecedented political polarization, tackling the threat posed by space debris provides a unique opportunity for constructive bipartisanship. The United States should make full use of its infrastructural, diplomatic, and commercial prowess to lead the charge in orbital debris prevention and removal. In other words, one of the first nations to send people to space now has the unique position to remove the consequences of that ingenuity. In addition to adequately funding relevant agencies like NASA and NOAA to monitor new and existing debris in orbit, Congress and the Trump Administration should push legislation incentivizing the private sector to successfully implement debris removal through grants, contracts, and tax incentives. The United States should moreover leverage its position on the world stage to persuade other countries to adopt similar solutions such as technical standards that better ensure successful spacecraft deorbiting. The issue of space debris furthermore provides the United States with an opportunity to partner with states across the Global South as developing countries often heavily rely on satellite infrastructure to compete in the global economy.[xiv] Nevertheless, regardless of the specific actions taken, space must remain an opportunity for humanity rather than a coffin caused by space debris.
Works Cited
Adilov, Nodir, Peter J. Alexander, and Brendan M. Cunningham. “An Economic ‘Kessler Syndrome’: A Dynamic Model of Earth Orbit Debris.” Economics Letters 166 (May 2018): 79–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2018.02.025.
Aglietti, G.S., B. Taylor, S. Fellowes, S. Ainley, D. Tye, C. Cox, A. Zarkesh, et al. “RemoveDEBRIS: An In-Orbit Demonstration of Technologies for the Removal of Space Debris.” The Aeronautical Journal 124, no. 1271 (November 26, 2019): 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1017/aer.2019.136.
Bongers, Anelí, and José L. Torres. “Star Wars: Anti-Satellite Weapons and Orbital Debris.” Defence and Peace Economics 35, no. 7 (April 27, 2023): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10242694.2023.2208020.
Colvin, Thomas, John Karcz, and Grace Wusk. “Cost and Benefit Analysis of Orbital Debris Remediation.” National Aeronautics and Space Administration, March 10, 2023. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/otps_-_cost_and_benefit_analysis_of_orbital_debris_remediation_-_final.pdf?emrc=507712.
Congress.gov. “H.R.8787 – ORBITS Act of 2024.” Congress.gov. Accessed October 3, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8787?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22orbits+act+of+2024%22%7D&s=4&r=1.
———. “S.1898 – ORBITS Act of 2025.” Congress.gov, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1898?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22orbits+act%22%7D&s=5&r=9.
European Space Agency. “ESA’s Zero Debris Approach,” n.d. https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Clean_Space/ESA_s_Zero_Debris_approach.
Foust, Jeff. “SpaceX Launch Surge Helps Set New Global Launch Record in 2024.” SpaceNews, January 2, 2025. https://spacenews.com/spacex-launch-surge-helps-set-new-global-launch-record-in-2024/.
Hallex, Matthew A., and Travis S. Cottom. “Proliferated Commercial Satellite Constellations: Implications for National Security.” National Defense University Press, March 31, 2020. https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2106495/proliferated-commercial-satellite-constellations-implications-for-national-secu/.
Lipton, Eric. “Musk’s SpaceX Could Secure Billions in New Contracts under Trump.” The New York Times, March 23, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/spacex-contracts-musk-doge-trump.html.
Mariappan, Amrith, and John L Crassidis. “Kessler’s Syndrome: A Challenge to Humanity.” Frontiers in Space Technologies 4 (November 28, 2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2023.1309940.
Mathieu, Edouard. “A Record Number of Objects Went into Space in 2023.” Our World in Data, March 11, 2024. https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/a-record-number-of-objects-went-into-space-in-2023.
NASA. “ARES | Orbital Debris Program Office | Frequently Asked Questions.” Nasa.gov, 2020. https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/faq/.
Ngcofe, Luncedo. “Is There Enough Space for Africa in Outer Space?” South African Journal of Science 121, no. 3/4 (March 7, 2025). https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2025/18777.
Ocaya, Richard O., and Thembinkosi D. Malevu. “Space Debris Is Falling from the Skies. We Need to Tackle This Growing Danger.” Nature 639, no. 8055 (March 18, 2025): 571–73. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00797-7.
[i] European Space Agency, “ESA’s Zero Debris Approach,” n.d., https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Clean_Space/ESA_s_Zero_Debris_approach.
[ii] Anelí Bongers and José L. Torres, “Star Wars: Anti-Satellite Weapons and Orbital Debris,” Defence and Peace Economics 35, no. 7 (April 27, 2023): 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1080/10242694.2023.2208020.
[iii] Edouard Mathieu, “A Record Number of Objects Went into Space in 2023,” Our World in Data, March 11, 2024, https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/a-record-number-of-objects-went-into-space-in-2023.
[iv] Jeff Foust, “SpaceX Launch Surge Helps Set New Global Launch Record in 2024,” SpaceNews, January 2, 2025, https://spacenews.com/spacex-launch-surge-helps-set-new-global-launch-record-in-2024/.
Eric Lipton, “Musk’s SpaceX Could Secure Billions in New Contracts under Trump,” The New York Times, March 23, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/spacex-contracts-musk-doge-trump.html.
[v] Matthew A. Hallex and Travis S. Cottom, “Proliferated Commercial Satellite Constellations: Implications for National Security,” National Defense University Press, March 31, 2020, https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2106495/proliferated-commercial-satellite-constellations-implications-for-national-secu/.
[vi] NASA, “ARES | Orbital Debris Program Office | Frequently Asked Questions,” Nasa.gov, 2020, https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/faq/.
[vii] European Space Agency
[viii] Richard O. Ocaya and Thembinkosi D. Malevu, “Space Debris Is Falling from the Skies. We Need to Tackle This Growing Danger,” Nature 639, no. 8055 (March 18, 2025): 571–73, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-00797-7.
[ix] Amrith Mariappan and John L Crassidis, “Kessler’s Syndrome: A Challenge to Humanity,” Frontiers in Space Technologies 4 (November 28, 2023), https://doi.org/10.3389/frspt.2023.1309940.
[x] Nodir Adilov, Peter J. Alexander, and Brendan M. Cunningham, “An Economic ‘Kessler Syndrome’: A Dynamic Model of Earth Orbit Debris,” Economics Letters 166 (May 2018): 79–82, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2018.02.025.
[xi] Congress.gov, “H.R.8787 – ORBITS Act of 2024,” Congress.gov, accessed October 3, 2025, https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8787?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22orbits+act+of+2024%22%7D&s=4&r=1;
Congress.gov, “S.1898 – ORBITS Act of 2025,” Congress.gov, 2025, https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1898?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22orbits+act%22%7D&s=5&r=9.
[xii] G.S. Aglietti et al., “RemoveDEBRIS: An In-Orbit Demonstration of Technologies for the Removal of Space Debris,” The Aeronautical Journal 124, no. 1271 (November 26, 2019): 1–23, https://doi.org/10.1017/aer.2019.136.
[xiii] Thomas Colvin, John Karcz, and Grace Wusk, “Cost and Benefit Analysis of Orbital Debris Remediation” (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, March 10, 2023), https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/otps_-_cost_and_benefit_analysis_of_orbital_debris_remediation_-_final.pdf?emrc=507712.
[xiv] Luncedo Ngcofe, “Is There Enough Space for Africa in Outer Space?,” South African Journal of Science 121, no. 3/4 (March 7, 2025), https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2025/18777.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Lucas Wood-Gluck
Lucas is a second-year master’s student in the U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security program at SIS and a 2025-2026 Boren Fellowship awardee (Latvia, Russian). He is from Miami, Florida, received his bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Florida, and speaks English, Spanish, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese.
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