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Analysis and Space

Should we ban space weapons to stop the huge space junk problem?

By Jonathan O’Callaghan

2 September 2021

Space debris around planet Earth; Shutterstock ID 1943915647; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

The growing space junk problem could get worse with anti-satellite weapons

Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock

Today there are an estimated 18,000 pieces of trackable space junk in Earth’s orbit, which includes anything larger than a tennis ball. The largest group of these are pieces of exploded rockets left to drift around our planet. In close second-place, however, are more than 3000 pieces of debris left over from anti-satellite tests. Now a group of experts is calling for a ban on such tests, to stop the problem in its tracks before it has disastrous consequences.

The use of weapons in…

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