Could Space Debris Provoke An Armed Conflict On Earth?

An artist’s impression from 2008 of the space debris in orbit around Earth. Photograph: European Space Agency / Rex Feat

The Guardian: Rise in space junk could provoke armed conflict say scientists

Fragments of spent rockets and other debris orbiting the Earth pose ‘special political danger’ of damage to satellites being misconstrued as attack.

The steady rise in space junk that is floating around the planet could provoke a political row and even armed conflict, according to scientists, who warn that even tiny pieces of debris have enough energy to damage or destroy military satellites.

Researchers said fragments of spent rockets and other hurtling hardware posed a “special political danger” because of the difficulty in confirming that an operational satellite had been struck by flying debris and had not fallen victim to an intentional attack by another nation.

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WNU Editor: No data has been published .... but I would love to know how many military satellites have been damaged/disabled because of this situation.