The Growth of Space Debris since 1957
Space debris has been increasing rapidly since the start of the Space Age, which began in 1957 with the launch by the Soviet Union of the first satellite—Sputnik 1.
Only in the last 15 years has the international community recognized this increase as a growing threat to satellites. During that time, space-faring countries have developed a set of guidelines intended to limit the production of debris.
As the two slideshows below illustrate, much more work needs to be done.
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Historical debris growth, with pictures |
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