There are over 131 million pieces of debris currently whipping around the planet, and they pose a serious threat to the satellites that underpin Earth’s vital technologies. So, how can we save our satellites and ourselves from all this trash? | TED-Ed

🛰️ Space Junk Overload!⁠ ⁠ Did you know that Earth’s orbit is becoming more crowded every year? 🚀⁠ Space junk — also called space debris or orbital waste — includes defunct satellites, rocket parts, paint chips, tools, and even an astronaut’s glove!⁠ ⁠ 👀 This video shows how the amount of debris has grown over the past 60 years.⁠ Note: the debris pieces aren’t to scale — in reality, they’re much smaller!⁠ ⁠ As of 2025, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network is tracking over 40,000 objects in orb