According to The Wall Street Journal, there are currently more than 34 thousand satellites and debris in low Earth orbit, and this number will continue to increase, increasing the likelihood of accidental collisions between spacecraft.

The newspaper notes that even small debris can disable a satellite or trigger a chain reaction of accidents in orbit.

The leading role in the growing congestion of near-Earth space is played by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is increasing the pace of satellite launches and forming the largest orbital constellation for the Starlink service. Other players are also active: Amazon is developing its own satellite Internet project, Amazon Leo, and the aerospace company Rocket Lab has agreed to acquire satellite communications operator Iridium. In August 2026, China's LandSpace successfully landed the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket, a feat that could allow the company to accelerate its ability to launch satellites into orbit.

According to Dallas Kasabosky, an analyst at the consulting firm Analysys Mason, at least 41 thousand more satellites are planned to be launched into low-Earth orbit between 2026 and 2034, with SpaceX, Amazon, and Chinese companies accounting for about two-thirds of them. He also admits that, given the plans of SpaceX, Google and other companies to launch orbital data centers, the total number of satellites in orbit could reach around 1,5 million.

According to data from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), cited by the Wall Street Journal, as their orbits fill up, SpaceX satellites are increasingly forced to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions. Actual collisions between satellites are still rare, but if they do occur, an object could break up into hundreds of pieces. Scientists track softball-sized fragments to help satellites avoid them, but smaller pieces also pose a threat if they don't burn up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX itself has also addressed the issue of congestion in low-Earth orbit, with documents filed before the company going public indicating that the growing number of satellites and other objects in orbit increases the likelihood of accidental collisions and other incidents.

At the same time, Johnny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space, a satellite developer, believes there is sufficient orbital space for existing satellite constellations. He compares the situation to air travel, where planes take off and land safely every day at busy airports, often navigating narrow air corridors. In his opinion, the real threat is not the volume of traffic itself, but poor coordination between operators or deliberate illegal actions.