Every day, three pieces of space debris re-enter the atmosphere. Why should we be concerned?
ESA report: ‘By 2025, the long-term impact of our space activities had worsened by an order of magnitude in just one year’
On average, more than three intact satellites or rocket stages re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day. And, at the same time, ten new payloads are launched every day. ‘By 2025, the long-term impact of our space activities will have worsened by an order of magnitude in the space of just one year.’
The report
This is highlighted in the annual report on the space environment (Space Environment Report), which ESA’s Space Debris Office has been publishing since 2017 to ‘provide a transparent overview of global space activities and assess the effectiveness of international debris mitigation measures in improving the long-term sustainability of space activities’.
According to the study, some orbits ‘are becoming saturated and are increasingly crowded with debris’.
The report also includes data on past and ongoing activities, excluding projects that are still in the preparatory phase prior to launch.
The summary of the 2026 report, based on data collected at the end of 2025, highlights that ‘the number and size of commercial satellite constellations continue to increase year on year’.
