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Space debris

As of Nov 11, 2026, 12,357 pieces of tracked debris are in orbit. Of the 34,682 fragments cataloged since 1957, 22,325 have already reentered and burned up: 64%.

The largest cloud still in orbit is Fengyun-1C (anti-satellite test, 2007): 2,310 of its 3,530 tracked pieces are still up, around 863 km above Earth.

Data as of Nov 11, 2026 · CelesTrak SATCAT (debris and reentry dates), documented breakup dates for the major events · Rebuilt every day · Methods

12,357
Tracked debris fragments in orbit
Individually cataloged pieces, not estimates of the smaller population.
22,325
Fragments already reentered
Removed by the atmosphere alone.
64%
Of all debris ever tracked has reentered
Out of 34,682 fragments cataloged since 1957.
3,530
Pieces tracked from Fengyun-1C
The largest breakup on record.

Debris created and cleared

Tracked debris is the fragments too small to be payloads or rocket bodies but big enough to follow from the ground. The good news is in the shape of it: two thirds of everything ever created has already burned up, and modern operators passivate and deorbit to keep it that way.

Tracked debris fragments reentering per year
Fragments removed from the catalog by reentry, by calendar year.
01k2k3k197019801990200020102020fragments reentered1961: 221962: 591963: 251964: 351965: 1661966: 2361967: 1471968: 1271969: 1601970: 1271971: 1851972: 2271973: 2961974: 2111975: 2601976: 2541977: 3241978: 3401979: 4291980: 3601981: 4431982: 3721983: 3131984: 3831985: 2881986: 3871987: 4791988: 7571989: 8601990: 3781991: 4081992: 2151993: 1311994: 901995: 831996: 1631997: 3341998: 3001999: 3232000: 2702001: 2812002: 3962003: 2332004: 1272005: 1472006: 2202007: 1382008: 6882009: 2422010: 3202011: 4202012: 3932013: 3742014: 5462015: 3652016: 1602017: 1142018: 1072019: 1922020: 2662021: 3162022: 2,0552023: 1,3102024: 9882025: 6622026: 291
Of 34,682 debris fragments ever tracked, 22,325 have already reentered and burned up. Reentries surge when the Sun is active and the upper atmosphere expands.Source: CelesTrak SATCAT reentry dates.
Debris only, the last 120 days
Tracked debris created (up) versus debris reentering (down) each day since Jul 15, 2026.
224AugSepOctNov2 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments created1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments created1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments created2 debris fragments created4 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered3 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered4 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered2 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reentered1 debris fragments reenteredcreatedreentering
Zoomed to debris alone, the daily balance tilts the good way: fragments reenter and burn up on most days, while new debris appears only occasionally (a tall bar is a single breakup entering the catalog). Over the whole record, 64% of all tracked debris has already come back down.Source: CelesTrak SATCAT.

Debris does not appear on a smooth yearly curve the way launches do: the public catalog records each fragment under its parent's launch date, not the day it broke apart. So the clouds are best read as events. These are the largest on record, with their documented breakup dates:

EventCauseDateAltitudeFragmentsStill up
Fengyun-1CAnti-satellite testJan 11, 2007863 km3,5302,310
Cosmos 1408Anti-satellite testNov 15, 2021480 km1,8063
Cosmos 2251CollisionFeb 10, 2009789 km1,714605
CZ-6A upper stage (2022)ExplosionNov 12, 2022800 km800612
Pegasus HAPS stageExplosionJun 3, 1996625 km75356
CZ-6A upper stage (2024)ExplosionAug 6, 2024810 km705573
Iridium 33CollisionFeb 10, 2009789 km656115
Cosmos 2421Anomalous breakupMar 14, 2008410 km5080
Ariane 1 third stageExplosionNov 13, 1986805 km49622
Cosmos 1275Anomalous breakupJul 24, 1981980 km478399
The guide · 12 min read

Space debris: what is up there, and what takes it away

Space junk is usually described as a rising tide. The catalog tells a more interesting story: a handful of specific events made most of it, altitude decides almost everything about how long it stays, and the atmosphere has quietly removed two thirds of everything ever tracked.

  1. 1What is actually up there
  2. 2The events that made the clouds
  3. 3Why it collects at 800 km
  4. 4What takes it away
  5. 5The Sun sets the clear-out rate
  6. 6It is the Sun
  7. 7How operators keep orbits clean
  8. 8So what about Kessler syndrome?
Read the guide →

Watch it in 3D

See it on the globe

See the debris field in 3DLoads the tracked debris layer in the atlas and filters to fragments only. The big clouds appear on their documented breakup dates as you scrub the timeline.