The scrap in space varies in size and the scrap parts can be anywhere from a few millimeters to the size of a bus.
In the event of a crash, scrap parts can destroy a functioning satellite, whose parts and splits then become new scrap. The debris is at risk of entering our atmosphere and crashing on the earth's surface.
Although the amount of space debris is increasing, we continue to launch new satellites, as many businesses rely on, for example, television reception, weather reception and GPS.
Today, robots are being developed to be sent out into space and clean away the scrap. However, there are no rules around who should pay to suspend them in space.
- The solution must come from above, from the UN. They have to legislate and force people to clean up the scrap metal, says Rüdiger Jehn, engineer at the European Space Agency, ESA.
The debris in space has accumulated like a dust around the earth and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Pictures and graphics have therefore been enlarged in the video.
Want to know more about space debris? See the full program in the World of Science on Monday, August 26 in SVT2, at. 20:00. The program can also be viewed already on SVT Play.