We've got a lot of environmental problems going on right now on Earth. But it appears as though our problems are soon (if not already) going to extend past our atmosphere and into orbit.
Last month, two satellites collided while in orbit. One was a defunct Russian satellite, but the other was an American telecommunications satellite that was still in operation. Hundreds of thousands of people temporarily lost their signals.
It was considered a fairly big deal since this was the first time something like this has ever happened. Notions of another Cold War were even brought up. But the everlasting impacts of this are very notable. With the crash, at least 600 pieces of debris were created and now float freely in the atmoshphere.
Add that to the already 18,000 or so man-made objects in orbit and you've got one hell of a mess. Not only is this making satellites more vulnerable, but the space programs, which already face billions of different risks, are also now at greater risk of damage due to 'space waste'.
Space has the potential to become another victim of the Tragedy of the Commons. I wonder if the environmental movement will ever encompass space?
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