2025: Crisis Management Days Conference Proceedings
Communication and Innovative Technologies for Crisis Management

Space Debris – The Silent Environmental Challenge

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  • Dajana Jelčić Dubček
Dajana Jelčić Dubček
University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica

Published 2025-11-27

Keywords

  • artificial satellites,
  • Kessler syndrome,
  • space-debris mitigation,
  • satellite end-of-life disposal,
  • orbital environment

How to Cite

Jelčić Dubček, D. (2025). Space Debris – The Silent Environmental Challenge. Crisis Management Days. Retrieved from https://ojs.vvg.hr/index.php/DKU/article/view/755

Copyright (c) 2025 Dajana Jelčić Dubček

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The increasing reliance on satellite-based technologies for communication, navigation, and Earth observation has led to an unprecedented growth in the number of artificial satellites, particularly in low Earth orbit. Alongside their benefits, this expansion has resulted in a growing accumulation of inactive satellites and orbital debris, raising serious environmental and safety concerns. This review examines the ecological implications of the space debris problem, with particular emphasis on the risks posed by uncontrolled fragmentation, long-term orbital persistence, and cascading collision scenarios such as the Kessler syndrome. Existing and emerging mitigation measures are discussed, including active debris removal technologies and satellite end-of-life protocols. The paper highlights the urgent need to recognize near-Earth space as a vulnerable environmental domain, requiring global coordination and sustained technical innovation to ensure its long-term usability and safety.

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