ESA Space Environment 2025 figure 3

The number of fragments added and their cause, primarily fuel (Propulsion) and anti-satellite tests (Deliberate)

In 2024, there were several major fragmentation events, as well as several smaller ones. This has led to large increase in objects in one year, with at least over 3.000 tracked objects added.

The significant effect of such events illustrates the importance of measures undertaken at the end of a satellite’s or launcher’s lifetime that reduce the risk of such events. This includes passivation techniques to ensure there is no fuel or battery charge left that can lead to explosions and safely removing satellites from important orbits.