May 20, 2021 · Space junk can travel at 40,000km an hour and can destroy satellite communications. A new space mission is aiming to capture and remove space debris from orbit. In November 2021, the crew of the International Space Station were forced to take shelter onboard to avoid being struck by pieces of a broken satellite orbiting Earth.

Jul 13, 2022 · The space industry likes to see itself as an integral player in the battle against climate change. On a superficial level, this perception is justified. Space science and exploration have fostered a deeper understanding of our planet and satellite communications will allow for a more efficient use of the planet’s resources.

Apr 3, 2018 · But large quantities of space junk end up staying in various orbits around Earth, threatening satellites, the International Space Station (ISS), as well as future missions beyond Earth's vicinity – to asteroids, the Moon and Mars.

Jan 23, 2025 · The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no …

Jun 13, 2023 · ‘The global space-faring community needs to address the debris issue, before the orbital environment becomes unusable.’ ‘Protecting the space environment is of utmost importance to humanity’s short-term and long-term success.’ ‘Space is vital to daily life – from weather forecasting to global connectivity, and from climate change ...

Mar 2, 2023 · The ChallengeIn the near future, space debris will become a critical challenge for the global community, endangering access to space and the benefits this access brings. In recent years, the close to $400 billion global space economy has experienced a transformation. Declining costs, satellite and launcher size evolutions and the proliferation of related …

While many fragments of space junk are small, they travel so fast their impact has enough energy to disable a satellite or cause significant damage to space stations. Both the Hubble Telescope and the Solar Maximum Mission ( SMM ) satellites had coin-sized holes punched into them by flying debris and a mirror on Nasa’s James Webb space ...

Jan 12, 2022 · This is leading to a growing risk of collisions between satellites and space junk, and means that new regulations on the use of space are urgently needed. Those are some of the conclusions of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2022 , which warns that if satellites fail, whether due to natural or human events, the consequences for ...

May 5, 2021 · Space junk is rapidly proliferating in low-Earth orbit, or LEO, which generates more debris and imperils space exploration. International space agencies are creating guidelines to mitigate space junk, while aerospace corporations are designing spacecraft to proactively minimize and even pick up debris.

Sep 4, 2023 · Firstly, space operations can greatly contribute to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The UN's report highlights that “space technology and applications are crucial for effective climate action, including climate change monitoring, weather forecasting, disaster management and response, mapping and monitoring natural and protected areas, …