Space Debris Tracker — Orbital Debris and Defunct Satellites

Space debris, commonly called space junk, includes defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions and anti-satellite tests. Over 30,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm are tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network, and millions of smaller fragments pose risks to active missions.

Major debris-generating events include the 2007 Chinese ASAT test that destroyed the Fengyun-1C weather satellite, creating over 3,500 trackable fragments, and the 2009 collision between Iridium 33 and the defunct Cosmos 2251, which added roughly 2,000 debris pieces to orbit. In 2021, Russia's ASAT test on Cosmos 1408 created over 1,500 additional fragments.

This tracker helps visualize the scope of the orbital debris problem, showing tracked objects, their altitudes, and velocities. Understanding debris distribution is crucial for protecting the International Space Station, active satellites, and future space missions.