The number of space objects that are being tracked by the United States has increased from 25,000 to about 50,000 in four years since the country started tracking such objects, US Space Command Commander Gen. James Dickinson said on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2023) The number of space objects that are being tracked by the United States has increased from 25,000 to about 50,000 in four years since the country started tracking such objects, US Space Command Commander Gen. James Dickinson said on Wednesday.
"When we (the US Space Command) stood up four years ago, we tracked about 25,000 objects in space. That's anything from an active satellite to a defunct satellite to debris to a paint chip. That number has grown ... (to) close to 50,000," Dickinson said during a discussion hosted by the Aspen Institute.
The surge in the number of space objects can be explained by the commercial activity of private companies, including SpaceX, which is putting thousands of satellites in space, Dickinson said.
The US Space Command is also tracking the debris of a Russian satellite that was destroyed in November, Dickinson added.
