Technology
Why Space Desperately Needs a Traffic Cop
Deadly hypersonic debris may spell doom for existing satellites and the thousands more to come as low-Earth orbit is commercialized.
Photographer: 3DSculptor/iStockphoto via Getty Images
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In the race to commercialize space, one premise is undisputed: It’s getting crowded up there.
From private enterprise to universities to the military, everyone has their eye on the sky as it comes financially within reach. Yet it’s not clear how all these new orbital gadgets will coexist, zipping around at 17,000 miles per hour, surrounded by a high-speed minefield of debris from mankind’s earlier space ventures.