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Using data available from NASA itself, German database company Statista has published a list of countries responsible for producing the maximum amount of space debris, Moneycontrol reported.
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Russia, one of the leading space powers, tops the list. With over 7,000 rocket bodies and other debris, Statista reported citing data dated February 4, 2022 from NASA’s Orbital Debris Quarterly News.
Russia is closely followed by its biggest rival, the United States with 5,216 pieces of debris.
Fast-rising China ranks third on the list with 3,845 pieces of debris.
Japan and France are fourth and fifth with 520 and 117 pieces of debris respectively.
But while debris being dumped into space is already a major concern, the increasing use of missiles by countries to blow up their own satellites in space after they have exceeded their usefulness is another reason for the increasing numbers of debris drifting into space outer space. This is often done by countries to test their anti-satellite capabilities (ASAT).
The growing amount of space debris is jeopardizing space programs as it has increased the likelihood of spacecraft, space stations and satellites colliding with the debris.
