Earth’s Orbits Becoming More Congested With Satellites, Space Debris: Report

Earth’s orbital space is becoming more congested after nearly 3,000 satellites were deployed last year, according to a new report from space technology firm Slingshot Aerospace. A total of 2,877 satellites were deployed in 2023, up 14.6 percent from the previous year, bringing the total number of active and inactive satellites in orbit to 12,597 as of the end of last year, according to the report. Of these, 3,356 are inactive satellites, and 5,648 of the 9,241 active satellites belong to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Nearly 80 percent of the 2023 deployments, or 2,285, were communication satellites, according to the report. “The industry has been saying space is becoming more congested for years, but now reality is setting in and the pressure is on to address the increasing risk in orbit,” said Melissa Quinn, general manager of Slingshot Aerospace, according to an April 30 press release....