From Sputnik to Gravity: the dangers of space junk and how to deal with it

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2014-04-03

Satellites and space vessels are under threat from the increasing amount of space debris orbiting earth, which is why they need to be monitored. On Wednesday 2 April , Parliament votes on a programme to support member states' efforts to track this "space junk".

Since Sputnik in 1957 more than 6,000 satellites have been launched, many of them now out of use but still orbiting earth. Old equipment also breaks down, explodes or simply collides with other objects, creating even more space debris, which in turn leads to more collisions, threatening spaceflight.

On 2 April, MEPs vote on a new support framework already agreed with member states to pool their space debris tracking programmes with €70 million in EU funding.

Source: European Parliament

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