Space Race 2.0 is well and truly afoot with not just government agencies but even private enterprises like SpaceX and Blue Origin vying to establish their dominance.
Space exploration is crucial from a scientific standpoint to not just understand the origins of the universe, but also help advance technological development, medical research, and safeguard the Earth.
However, what gets lost in the sheen of this 'progress race' is the very real threat posed by the millions of pieces of old and defunct rockets and satellites that continue to orbit around our planet.
The 9th European Conference on Space Debris has been convened to highlight this reality and devise mitigating measures.
This story was originally published on https://www.dw.com/ and is republished here with permission.
