There are more than 5,500 active satellites in orbit as of this spring, a number that is projected to grow to 58,000 by 2030, according to the Government Accountability Office. However, when these satellites are no longer in use and remain in space, this debris can become problematic.
Orbital debris, or space junk, “consists of human-made objects orbiting Earth that no longer serve a purpose, including mission-related and fragmentation debris, nonfunctional spacecraft and abandoned rocket stages,” according to NASA.
