Currently, over 300 rocket stage remnants fall to Earth each year, according to MIT Technology Review, citing research data from American astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center.
"Previously, we observed between 50 to 100 returning rocket stages annually. Now we are witnessing 300 each year," the scientist's data reveals.
In 2019, approximately 115 satellites burned up in the atmosphere. As of the end of November 2024, a new record has already been set at 950 satellites.
The Starlink internet satellites from SpaceX are particularly the most numerous among them. Since May 2019, as part of the Starlink project, SpaceX has launched over 7,500 of these satellites. Some of them have malfunctioned or fallen out of orbit. More than 6,800 devices are currently operational in orbit.
According to the scientist, the amount of space debris evaporating in Earth's atmosphere has more than doubled in recent years. The mass of evaporating space debris will continue to increase in line with the size of satellite constellations, which will impact the climate.
By 2033, it could reach four thousand tons per year, according to estimates presented at a seminar titled "Protecting Earth and Space from the Disposal of Spacecraft and Debris," held in September at the University of Southampton in the UK.