How much space debris is there in Leo?

The total mass, about 3230 metric tons in LEO, including the International Space Station (ISS), in mid-2020 [46], represents the potential source of debris from collisional breakups.

What size space junk does NASA track?

Large orbital debris (> 10 cm) are tracked routinely by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network. Objects as small as 3 mm can be detected by ground-based radars, providing a basis for a statistical estimate of their numbers.

How much space junk is there in 2020?

More than 23,000 orbital debris larger than 10 cm are known to exist. The estimated population of particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter is approximately 500,000. The number of particles larger than 1 mm exceeds 100 million. As of January 1, 2020, the amount of material orbiting the Earth exceeded 8,000 metric tons.

How much space debris is tracked?

There are over 20,000 known and tracked pieces of space debris orbiting Earth, each one traveling at about 15,000 mph (24,000 km/h). They pose a risk to future space missions, and nobody is bothering to clean it up.

How many objects does NASA track?

Currently, about 27,000 officially cataloged objects are still in orbit and most of them are 10 cm and larger. Using special ground-based sensors and inspections of returned satellite surfaces, NASA statistically determines the extent of the population for objects less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter.

How many rocket bodies are in space?

Bottom line. Just for 2020 launches, there are still 32 rocket bodies in orbit. Fifteen of those pieces of space junk are Chinese. Ten were lofted by the U.S., five of them on classified missions, Kelso said.

Who has the most space debris?

So there we have it, Russia and it’s commonwealth allies currently have the most space junk circulating space, with the US, China, France and India following closely behind.