There is a growing problem space debris, to the extent that it could pose a danger to people. Earlier this week, an enormous metal ring crashed the Kenyan village Mukuku, 116 km southeast the capital Nairobi. The mystery object was approximately 2.5 metres wide, and weighed 500 kilograms. It had the potential to cause significant loss life and damage to property. Fortunately, it landed a small wood. Kenya's Space Agency said the hunk metal was probably the separation ring a recently-launched rocket. An official said: "Our experts will analyze the object…and keep the public informed the outcome." It said this was "an isolated case".
The problem space debris will get bigger as more companies and countries launch rockets the heavens. There has been a heating of the space race the past decade. Many satellites the USA, China, India and other nations are now orbiting Earth and probing deep space. Commercial companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin have sent dozens rockets into low-Earth orbit. The European Space Agency estimated that there are currently more than 14,000 tons debris circling our planet. This includes over 170 million pieces space junk that are wider than one millimetre. Most these harmlessly burn upon re-entry our atmosphere.
