Durham, NC (SPX) Oct 31, 2025 — In the nascent days of space exploration, satellites were a rarity, each launch celebrated as a monumental achievement of engineering and ambition. These machines were sent far above the Earth into orbits where they could drift undisturbed, traversing the vast expanses of space with minimal risk of collision. The skies were notably quieter then.
Today, however, the mantra of “aim higher” has shifted. Low Earth Orbit (LEO), once a sparsely populated frontier, is now bustling with newly launched satellites. According to Giovanni Zanalda, a professor at Duke University and director of the Space Diplomacy Lab, this shift is driven by more than just economic considerations. Satellites in lower orbits offer faster communication with Earth, reducing transmission delays to mere milliseconds. This advantage has spurred a race among companies to deploy satellites, aiming to blanket the planet with connectivity. Yet, this rush has led to a significant problem: space is no longer empty.
Cluttered Orbits and the Threat of Space Debris
Unlike the vast highways of high-altitude orbits, LEO is a relatively narrow belt that is becoming increasingly congested. “Imagine two interstate highways intersecting at odd angles, with cars speeding at thousands of miles per hour and no traffic lights. That’s what our orbital environment has become,” Zanalda explained.
The total number of satellites in Earth’s orbit is close to 16,000, including around 13,000 active and 3,000 inactive or decommissioned ones.
Satellites must maintain high speeds to remain in orbit. There’s no stopping or pulling over; if they slow down, they fall back to Earth. Collisions result in shattering, and these fragments don’t simply vanish. Instead, they add to the growing collection of space debris—tiny shards of metal and plastic traveling at speeds fast enough to puncture spacecraft. This debris doesn’t just threaten future missions; it multiplies. One collision can generate thousands of new pieces, each capable of causing further damage, a phenomenon known as the Kessler Syndrome.
The Impact on Science and the Environment
Astronomers have long warned of the potential consequences. The night sky, once a canvas for discovery, is now streaked with artificial light from debris and active satellites, notes Arun Kannawadi, an observational cosmologist. These satellites reflect sunlight long after dusk, creating light pollution that interferes with telescopes and observatories. Ironically, the same companies that dream of interplanetary travel are cluttering the launch paths they’ll need to escape Earth’s atmosphere.
The impact extends beyond science. Wildlife, particularly nocturnal species, are affected by the artificial glow. Human circadian rhythms are disrupted, impacting health. “The consequences ripple across ecosystems and societies,” Kannawadi emphasized. “If satellites are disrupting circadian rhythms, how many days or years of life are we losing? What does it mean to permanently lose the night sky, a source of wonder and identity for humanity?”
Ecological consequences are significant as well. Migratory birds rely on the stars for navigation, and disrupting their patterns affects ecosystems, which in turn impacts agriculture and food security. These indirect effects, though harder to quantify, are no less real.
Regulatory Challenges and the Need for Action
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty laid the groundwork for international space law, addressing ownership, responsibility, and liability. However, it did not anticipate the debris crisis. Efforts to catch up have been hampered by a lack of consensus; there are still no binding international agreements or an agency dedicated to removing space debris and governing space traffic.
The Orbits Act, a promising piece of U.S. legislation aimed at addressing space debris, has stalled in Congress. Zanalda co-authored an op-ed on the bill, summarizing the problem and linking to key datasets. “Problems surrounding space debris and norms of behavior in orbit are not things that should be pushed off to deal with in the future. They require such a long-term horizon that, sometimes, from a political point of view, it is not a priority,” Zanalda noted.
Space debris is a global problem; there’s only one sky. No country can claim a clean slice while polluting the rest.
The consequences are shared, and so must be the solutions, say the experts. As the world grapples with this growing threat, the need for international cooperation and effective regulation becomes increasingly urgent. The future of space exploration and the preservation of our night sky depend on it.
