What is Kessler Syndrome?: Earth on the brink of a catastrophic orbital collapse, warns NASA
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Near Miss
A piece of space debris nearly collided with the International Space Station, forcing a Russian spacecraft to fire its engines and adjust the station’s trajectory, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Rising Risk
NASA confirms the ISS has performed dozens of such maneuvers since 2000 as space traffic grows dangerously congested, with tens of thousands of objects orbiting Earth.
Debris Danger
Collisions between satellites, rocket parts, and weapons tests have created vast clouds of space junk, some fragments large enough to destroy satellites or endanger astronaut missions.
Kessler Syndrome
Theoretical physicist Donald Kessler’s idea of cascading collisions in orbit becomes more relevant, as one impact could trigger a chain reaction, leaving Earth’s orbit unusable.
Low Visibility
Space situational awareness remains limited; debris smaller than a tennis ball often goes undetected, yet even a tiny object could cause catastrophic damage due to high orbital speeds.
Crowded Orbit
Low Earth Orbit, home to over 7,000 Starlink satellites and critical space infrastructure, faces increasing collision risks, jeopardizing communication, internet, and climate monitoring.
Cleanup Challenge
Efforts like drag sails, developed by ESA and HPS GmbH, aim to deorbit debris safely, but such technologies remain costly and experimental, with no clear plans for widespread adoption.
Regulation Void
Experts emphasize the urgent need for enforceable international regulations to manage space traffic. The UN’s non-binding agreements fall short of addressing this escalating crisis.
Representative pic
Ecological Parallel
Space debris is likened to ocean plastics—an underestimated problem that has spiraled into an ecological disaster. Timely intervention is critical to avoid irreversible orbital damage.