Space debris is the unintended result of more than six decades of human spaceflight endeavors, originating primarily from the debris, explosions, or collisions of some 8,950 satellites that have been in orbit since 1957.

Currently, ESA estimates that there are more than 900,000 debris objects larger than 1 cm in orbit. Any impact with a functioning satellite can cause damage and potentially end the mission in question.

The destruction of individual satellites or the permanent loss of specific orbits due to uncontrolled debris growth would have a devastating effect on Europe's economic activities in space, worth a direct sum of over €8 billion, severely impacting the global economy.

Today, global satellite operators spend €14 million annually on debris impact avoidance maneuvers, but more than 99% of cases are false alerts. However, in the coming years, the commercialization of space will begin to enter the scene and “Space 4.0” will be synonymous with mass launches of small satellites and large constellations by new commercial operators. This situation will generate several hundred thousand collision warnings per week for megaconstellation operators, a much higher number than currently.

As part of its space safety activities, ESA seeks to develop technologies to automate collision warnings, provide highly accurate orbit data and mitigate or remove debris, thus creating a valuable business opportunity that generates new jobs for European industry, which will gain a competitive advantage in the global market.