Currently, there are about 14,000 active objects in low Earth orbit, while the number of large space debris fragments reaches at least 45,000. Traffic in this area resembles the busy highways of a metropolis during rush hour, and the situation continues to worsen. According to researchers, a powerful magnetic storm could lead to catastrophic consequences, depriving humanity of all objects launched into space and surrounding Earth with a ring of debris that would damage any new launches. These conclusions are the result of a recent study. (https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.09643)
The question is how plausible such a scenario is, and whether it is merely a fear created to attract funding for yet another project to clean up space debris?
On one hand, the Kessler syndrome, which occurs when the collision of two satellites triggers a chain reaction of debris, could become a real disaster, and in the event of a strong magnetic storm, "there's nothing left to do but pray."
On the other hand, the results of the study raise certain doubts. The authors of the research used a special algorithm that produced alarming results, but this does not guarantee their alignment with reality. Russian scientists have also been analyzing orbital motion for the past five years, but their conclusions are far from such grim forecasts.
Source: kp.ru
