TUPPER LAKE, NY — Forty percent of all satellites in low Earth orbit that should have de-orbited in 2022 under international guidelines failed to do so, with most of them making no attempt, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
The performance was slightly worse than in the two previous years and illustrates the long-term nature of orbital-debris cleanup: Guidelines are flouted with no consequence, and any firm regulations will take years to make an impact given the amount of satellite mass launched before they took effect.
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