Space Force Tracks Debris After Secretive Russian Satellite Breaks Up in Orbit

The space junk problem just keeps getting worse.

“Tracking 85 associated pieces at est 1169 km altitude - analysis ongoing,” the squadron said.

Russian space equipment has been involved in a series of orbital-junk snafus in recent years.

The defunct Cosmos 2361 satellite and an old Russian rocket body had aworrisome near-miss in January.

Rocket parts, tiny bits of broken satellites and other junk pose a danger to functioning spacecraft.

TheInternational Space Station has to periodically dodgedebris to stay safe.

Researchers are looking atways to reduce and remove space junk, but it’s slow going.

In the meantime, there are more pieces to add to the orbiting junk pile.