The European Space Agency released these computer generated images of space junk this week. How depressing!

This is from the ESA website:

Between the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957 and 1 January 2008, approximately 4600 launches have placed some 6000 satellites into orbit, of which about 400 are travelling beyond geostationary orbit or on interplanetary trajectories.

Today, it is estimated that only 800 satellites are operational – roughly 45 percent of these are both in LEO and GEO. Space debris comprise the ever-increasing amount of inactive space hardware in orbit around the Earth as well as fragments of spacecraft that have broken up, exploded or otherwise become abandoned. About 50 percent of all trackable objects are due to in-orbit explosion events (about 200) or collision events (less than 10).

That’s a lot of scrap metal and circuitry. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was serving a useful purpose but unfortunately it’s just further evidence of our carelessness, recklessness and disdain for our environment.

It wasn’t that long ago that I blogged about the USA-193 and its Wollongong bound out of orbit trajectory. Fortunately, the Pentagon dealt with it.

Tags: environment, ESA, junk, orbit, satellite, space