On December 30, 2022, a mysterious metal ring, remnants of a satellite, crashed in Mukuku village, Kenya, highlighting the growing issue of space debris. As commercial space flight expands, many satellites are launched annually, leading to more instances of uncontrolled re-entry. While some debris burns up harmlessly, others composed of durable materials can impact populated areas. With low Earth orbit being heavily congested, urgent policies and strategies are required to manage the risks associated with falling debris, or we risk catastrophic consequences.
These events are not isolated. Across the world, from Texas to Saudi Arabia, from Cape Town to the Amazon rainforest, objects launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) are now falling back to Earth.
The uncontrolled re-entry of space debris is not just a nuisance - it is a legal, environmental and potentially catastrophic problem. Without fresh policies and mitigation strategies, it is only a matter of time before one of these incidents leads to a loss of life.
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