Starlink satellites are making thousands of avoidance maneuvers as low Earth orbit becomes more crowded, feeding worries that a catastrophic impact is inevitable. SpaceX’s orbital communication satellites performed maneuvers just over 25,000 times in the six-month period between December 1, 2022, and May 21, 2023, the company told the Federal Communications Commission in a recent […]
Does space debris have any known natural predators?
Yes, other space debris.
And gravity.
Atmosphere. Gravity just helps smash them against it.
Even without an atmosphere, gravity would pull the debris to crash into the planet itself.