When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.An illustration of space debris in orbit. | Credit: Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty ImagesEarth is surrounded by human-made debris that orbits our planet. The problem is worsening every year, and 2025 was no different.Space debris experts say nearly 130 million pieces of orbital junk are zipping around our planet: high-speed leftovers from rocket stage explosions, abandoned satellites, as well as bits and pieces of junk from space hardware deployments. Some of this meandering mess is the result of the deliberate demolition of spacecraft by way of anti-satellite weapons testing.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAll this space clutter means increased risk of collisions that generate more debris — better known as the Kessler syndrome. That cascading effect was detailed back in 1978 by NASA scientists, Donald Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais in the seminal space physics paper “Collision frequency of artificial satellites: The creation of a debris belt.” 47 years later, the problem has only gotten worse, and as several debris strike incidents this year show, we still have no good way to solve or even slow down the accumulation of orbital debris around our planet.Debris strike prompts emergency launchAs China’s Shenzhou-20 astronauts were preparing to undock from the country’s space station on Nov. 5, that crew found that their spacecraft had developed tiny cracks in its viewport window. The cause was tagged to an external impact from space debris, rendering the craft unsuitable for a safe crew return.This incident called for the first emergency launch mission in China’s human spaceflight program; an uncrewed, cargo-loaded Shenzhou-22 spaceship was launched on Nov. 25.The Shenzhou saga ended well with the Chinese astronauts safely returning to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. It was the first alternative return procedure activated in the history of China’s space station program.China’s Shenzhou-20 commander Chen Dong salutes a crowd. | Credit: VCG/Getty ImagesHowever, the Shenzhou-20 landing delay is not just a procedural footnote. It’s a signal about the state of our orbital commons, said Moriba Jah, a space debris expert and professor at the University of Te …
