The Kessler Syndrome: The Problem Of Space Debris

Although space debris may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over technology. One main problem is the Kessler Syndrome, a scenario in which the density of an object in low earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade. Donald Kessler himself wrote, “There’s no doubt about it, a cascading collision of satellites in orbit would definitely affect life on Earth, by disrupting global communication, limit globalization and undermine military intelligence.” In fact, space debris can affect things we use daily. Such as, computers, and even our cell phones.

Donald Kessler also states this problem is happening now as said in the article, “In 2009, the operational Iridium 33 satellite collided