We had a previous article about this HERE.
Many people believe that space is just full of stars and planets, and while the majority of space is empty – otherwise called a vacuum – there are many clouds of interstellar dust and tiny particles that make up space, too. As well as this, there is a lot of ‘junk’ – otherwise known as debris, left over from space shuttles and satellites.
But who does this space junk belong to exactly?
| Rank | Country | Amount of space junk |
| 1 | Russia | 14,403 |
| 2 | USA | 8,734 |
| 3 | China | 4,688 |
| 4 | France | 994 |
| 5 | India | 517 |
| 6 | Other | 538 |
In total there are nearly 30,000 pieces of junk floating around space, which is over double than it was two years ago when there were just 12,000 pieces (data by RS Components, 2018). There has never been more debris in space, which is why a plan to clean up space junk has been put in place.
There are several potential solutions that have been put forward to deal with space junk, including earth-based monitoring systems that makes it easier to avoid the objects in question. Another approach that US-based company Centauri, Photonic Associates, and other interested parties offers is to create a ‘just-in-time’ collision avoidance system that could help shift oncoming objects out of the way of oncoming rockets and outer-space objects.
Despite that idea already seeming almost impossible, another idea has been floated by researchers, in which a high-power orbiting pulsed laser will be able to move objects by changing their speed.
New Scientist recently reported that rockets with talcum powder could stop deadly space junk colliding with space rockets in the future, and with space junk continuing to become a big problem, with junk numbers only getting bigger, it may be an option that soon gets explored by professionals.
So, the question is: can’t we just stop launching things into space to reduce this problem?
Simply put, the answer is no. National Geographic reports that while some of the junk will lose altitude and burn up in the atmosphere, it will continue to multiply as orbiting pieces continue to collide.
Countries such as Russia, the USA and China need to react quickly in order to tackle this ongoing problem before space is overcrowded with junk and a bigger problem is in our hands.
Take a look at the infographic here by RS Components to see just how much junk is continuing to orbit our earth and which nations it belongs to.
