Space traffic is critical as debris and satellite constellations crowd low Earth orbit. Effective management will require tougher regulation, active debris removal, resilient satellite design and cybersecurity to keep orbital infrastructure safe and accessible.
Managing the ever-growing volume of space debris poses a serious challenge. If Low Earth Orbit (LEO) accumulates a significant amount of debris, the consequences could extend beyond space to impact global infrastructure and daily life. In 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler proposed that if the density of orbital objects reached a critical threshold, it would lead to a chain reaction of collisions in LEO that could envelop the planet in debris.
This scenario, known as the Kessler Syndrome, would generate a dense field of high-velocity fragments, increasing the risk for satellite operations and potentially restricting future space access. Over time, the degradation or loss of orbital infrastructure could disrupt global communications, navigation, environmental monitoring and financial networks.
Million challenges
Focusing on the orbital environment today, the volume of material encircling Earth indicates that the operational domain is under significant strain. Current tracking models confirm the presence of over 54,000 debris objects larger than 10 centimetres, as well as approximately 140 million micro-fragments between 1 millimetre and 1 centimetre in size. Of these, about 46,000 are actively catalogued and tracked.
The expansion of commercial satellite constellations has made the challenges of this congested environment increasingly apparent. Between December 2025 and May 2026, Starlink executed 207,152 collision avoidance manoeuvres across its fleet, bringing its annual total to over 355,000 manoeuvres. As additional state and private constellations are planned worldwide, real-time tracking and autonomous deflection capabilities have become essential for continued operations.
Rules and orbit
At the systemic level, the industry must shift away from the practice of leaving inactive hardware in orbit for decades. Regulatory authorities are making operational rules more stringent. For example, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now suggests that operators in LEO should either move their end-of-life satellites into higher graveyard orbits or ensure they experience complete atmospheric re-entry within five years of mission end.
Simultaneously, active remediation technologies are emerging to address these risks. One key approach is Active Debris Removal (ADR), which utilises robotic arms to clear large rocket stages or capture nets to retrieve smaller space fragments. In tandem, in-space servicing extends satellite lifespans by refuelling, updating software, and repurposing existing hardware, effectively reducing the need to launch new replacements into orbit.
However, funding remains a fundamental governance hurdle. Although active operators pay for their own end-of-life actions, there is no well-defined international financial framework for clearing up abandoned hardware left behind by bankrupt companies or defunct programmes.
Robust design
At the individual satellite level, measures to prevent orbital destruction must involve alterations to hardware engineering and system architecture. Beyond simply strengthening structures to withstand blows from micro-fragments, the future of satellite design will focus on software integrity and cyber defence.
However, as satellites increasingly rely on autonomous software for rapid collision avoidance, this reliance creates a new target and attack surface for cyber threats. It is possible for state-backed or independent malicious actors to hack into satellite controls to mimic navigational data, disrupt operations, or deliberately alter orbital paths. In order to prevent satellites from being turned into weapons or becoming rogue debris, cybersecurity must be incorporated into satellite design from the very beginning, with launch providers required to enforce security procedures as a condition for payload integration.
Ultimately, if we are to maintain LEO, we need to bridge the gap between micro-level engineering and macro-level governance by establishing a unified, civil-led space traffic management system to ensure the space domain remains accessible to future generations.
