Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, [1] space waste, space trash, space garbage, or cosmic debris[2]) are defunct human-made objects in space – principally in Earth orbit – which no longer serve a useful function.

The problem of debris in Earth orbit is getting worse. According to the European Space Agency's (ESA) annual Space Environment Report, the amount of space debris is rising quickly. We're sending satellites up at a much faster rate than they come down. To …

Apr 2, 2025 · The European Space Agency's new documentary short tackles the question of whether space debris has reached crisis level.

9 hours ago · There’s way too much space junk floating around Earth and it’s already making space travel a lot more dangerous.

11 hours ago · Analysis of samples brought back from the farside of the Moon by the Chang'e 6 mission have found the water content of the lunar farside mantle is much more depleted compared to the nearside.

Oct 12, 2020 · Swirling fragments of past space endeavours are trapped in orbit around Earth, threatening our future in space. Over time, the number, mass and area of these debris objects grow steadily, boosting the risk to functioning satellites.

Space junk, or space debris, is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space. It can refer to big objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of their mission.

On June 27, 2024, nine astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were forced to take shelter in a docked crew capsule after a nearby Russian satellite shattered into more than...

Apr 2, 2025 · While life on Earth has been dramatic enough lately, there's also been an unusual amount of news from space in the early months of 2025. So far, debris from SpaceX and Blue Origin rockets has ...

Jan 2, 2025 · Space junk endangers satellites, internet, and space exploration, with risks of catastrophic collisions from the Kessler Syndrome.