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Why space debris is a threat to the world
In the late 1970s, when the space race between the United States and the USSR was thriving and more and more satellites were being sent into orbit, scientist Don Kessler sounded a warning.
The amount of space junk could become so great that collisions would become inevitable, he predicted. A chain reaction would be created, causing even more collisions, making it impossible to navigate any spacecraft or equipment.
He estimated it would take three or four decades to become a reality.
At that point it was dreams of people routinely flying into outer space that experts envisaged were under threat.
However, space defence experts are now expressing concerns over the possibility of rogue states or groups causing worldwide chaos by using such a scenario to bring down hundreds of satellites.
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