orbital debris

The FAA formally withdrew its proposed 25-year upper stage disposal mandate in January 2026 after industry opposition led by SpaceX, even as startups Astroscale, Portal Space, and Paladin Space announced competing debris removal services targeting operations by 2027.

SpaceX reached 10,020 active Starlink satellites on March 17, constituting two-thirds of all active spacecraft, while NASA warns 500,000 satellites would contaminate nearly every telescope image.