Can space junk actually kill you? Scientists explain

The chance of someone being killed by space junk falling from the sky may seem ridiculously tiny. Experts have long warned that hundreds of thousands of pieces of space debris are circling the planet A new study, published in Nature Astronomy, has estimated the chance of causalities from falling rocket parts over the next ten years. These are examples of natural space debris, the uncontrolled arrival of which is unpredictable and sp The new study, however, investigated the uncontrolled arrival of artificial space debris, such as spent rocket stages, associated with rocket launches and satellites. Using mathematical modelling of the inclinations and orbits of rocket parts in space and population density below them, as well as 30 years’ worth of past satellite data, the authors estimated where rocket debris and other pieces of space junk land when they fall back to Earth. The study argues that advancing technologies and more thoughtful mission design would reduce the rate of uncontrolled re-entry of spacecraft debris, decreasing the hazard risk across the globe.