Space Crash Debris Could Linger 10,000 Years

Debris from this week’s satellite collision could circle Earth for up to 10,000 years, threatening many other satellites in an already-crowded area, Russia’s Mission Control chief said Friday. Space “junk” has become a growing concern in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can be highly damaging to functioning satellites and can also produce even more space debris in the process, called Kessler Syndrome. The U.S. Strategic Command maintains a catalogue currently containing about 13,000 objects, in part to prevent misinterpretation as hostile missiles.