Space around Earth is running out of room

Currently, there are about 14,000 active objects created by humans in low Earth orbit. However, the number of large fragments of space debris reaches 45,000. The situation in orbit resembles a busy metropolis during rush hour, and the situation continues to worsen. Some experts warn that a powerful magnetic storm could become a catastrophic event that would lead to the loss of all artificial satellites and other objects launched into space. As a result, Earth could find itself in a ring of debris, destroying any new attempts to launch anything into space. These conclusions were made as part of a high-profile study. (https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09643)

However, the question arises: how likely is such a scenario, and is it merely a fear created to secure funding for developments aimed at cleaning space from debris?

On one hand, the Kessler syndrome is a terrifying phenomenon where the collision of two satellites leads to the formation of numerous fragments, which in turn causes new collisions. In the event of a powerful magnetic storm, this could become a real disaster. In such a situation, one can only hope for the best.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that the results of the study, based on a new algorithm, raise doubts. Russian researchers who have been analyzing orbital traffic for the past five years have not come to such grim conclusions.

Source: kp.ru