Hundreds of satellites may soon be flying in orbital regions that are already too packed to allow safe and long-term operations, a new study suggests.

The study found that, while in 2019 only 0.2% of satellites in Earth orbit were forced to perform more than 10 collision-avoidance maneuvers per month, that percentage had risen sevenfold by early 2025, to 1.4%. That number might still seem low, but it means that some 340 satellites spend a lot of time dodging debris and other spacecraft.

Moreover, the satellite population is set to keep growing. While in 2019 about 13,700 objects (including space junk) zoomed around the planet in low Earth orbit (LEO), at altitudes below 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers), that number has since risen to 24,185 objects in 2025, an increase of 76%, according to

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