Space Debris: From Environmental Problem to Strategic Threat

In November 2021, an anti-satellite missile test generated over 1,500 trackable debris fragments and forced the ISS crew to shelter, a stark reminder that debris in orbit carries strategic as well as environmental consequences. At the same time, the commercial market for in-orbit servicing and debris removal is one of the fastest-growing in European space. This panel brings together voices from across the sector to examine what it means when debris becomes part of wider security thinking, and what the in-orbit servicing industry is worth in a world where orbital resilience matters more than ever.