The Wire

More satellites will be sent up to space than throughout the history of space exploration itself in the coming decades.

While projects proposed by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos could offer incredible opportunities for humanity, if the issue of debris is not addressed, space may become unusable.

Earth’s lower orbit could already be considered a space ‘junk yard’, with 128 million pieces of space debris smaller than 1cm currently circling Earth. As Steven Freeland, Emeritus Professor at Western Sydney University and Professorial Fellow at Bond University, explains the regulation of space and mitigating potential collisions will be essential in preserving the sustainability of space.