Blueshift has revealed 32,000 objects in Low Earth Orbit alone
Blueshift, a specialist in advanced thermal protection systems (TPS), has identified an amplified risk of collision from falling space debris due to a decade-long growth in satellite launches, which has heightened demand for improved safety, reduced weight, and greater resilience in rocket and satellite design
Blueshift has discovered a correlation with increased payloads to the latest debris data by analysing global space debris trends in orbital surveillance records from the US Department of Defence. Current data shows over 32,000 trackable pieces of debris larger than 10cm are circulating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
This issue has deepened due to an estimated 30-40% increase in payload launches over the last three years and a 900% increase from the US alone over the past decade.
Blueshift's AeroZero material line has been created with these challenges in mind, designed to provide robust thermal protection across extreme temperature ranges from −200°C to +2,400°C. AeroZero can decrease temperature gradients and insulate sensitive electronics from rapid orbital transitions.
AeroZero can slow conductive heat transfer, resulting in a ~40°C reduction in composite temperatures in vacuum. The material also has 19x lower thermal conductivity and 6x lower thermal diffusivity, helping improve thermal stability in spacecraft systems.
With more than 15,000 satellite launches since 1957, 10,000 of which are still active, the amount of space debris larger than 10cm in orbit has reached an all-time high. NASA and ESA estimate a further 131 million smaller, untracked fragments circulating in LEO. This can increase the risk of collisions and Kessler Syndrome, a chain reaction in which debris collisions create additional pieces, which can culminate in debris falling back into orbit or back to Earth if the debris is left in orbits below 600km.
The investigation has identified three countries responsible for over 90% of all space debris that has fallen to Earth in the last decade. The countries with the highest number of pieces of space debris include:
- Russia: 3,162
- The US: 1,332
- China: 1,254
The expanding role of private enterprises and the rising commercialisation of spaceflight in the US have led to a further increase in space debris, whilst China has nearly doubled its launch efforts and is the only nation to have increased its tracked debris count by ~1,000.
In the same period, 8,000 Starlink satellites have been launched, and incidents such as the 2022 near-collision between Tiangong Station and two Starlink satellites, and the debris collision that damaged China's Shenzhou-20, have only amplified the geopolitical and operational risks posed by space debris.
Tim Burbey, president at Blueshift, said, “The data makes clear that space sustainability is no longer optional. As launch activity grows, so does the risk of collision. Our materials directly support safer spacecraft by reducing mass, minimising thermal stress, and improving resilience under the extreme conditions of launch, orbit, and re-entry. By combining materials innovation with data-driven insight, we aim to reduce future fragmentation risks and support a safer orbital environment.”
