Get Ready for the “Kessler Syndrome” to Wreck Outer Space

Space junk in orbit is looking to become our next ecological mess

Illustration of a satellite breaking up, via the European Space Agency

Back in 1978, the astrophysicist Donald Kessler made an alarming prediction: Space junk could wreck our ability to keep satellites aloft.

In a fascinating paper, Kessler noted that “low earth orbit” — a region between 99 miles and…