(cont'd from yesterday's post)
All told, there's more than a million pieces of space debris greater than one centimeter.
Each functioning satellite in orbit represents a significant financial investment for the country or company that launched it, and continuing investment in operators who maintain it to keep the data flowing. Collision is a growing threat which they take seriously.
Yes, they have already happened (video below). One satellite stopped working and was out of control when it crashed with an American satellite. Another was intentionally blown up by its country. Both resulted in thousands of fragments:
America's Space Force and the European Space Agency both have projects in place to mitigate the risk.
(cont'd tomorrow)
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