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Space hazard

Orbital Debris

Defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments left in Earth orbit. Travelling at kilometres per second, even a small piece can destroy a working spacecraft, and collisions create more debris — a growing hazard in low Earth orbit.

Environment & effects

Affects:Earth
Related:Micrometeoroids

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • ESAEuropean Space Agency

    European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.