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The problem of space debris is getting bigger. It could become a danger to people. Earlier this week, a huge metal ring crashed into a Kenyan village 116 km southeast of the capital Nairobi. The object was about 2.5 metres wide, and weighed 500 kilograms. It could have caused significant loss of life and damage to property. Fortunately, it landed in a small wood. Kenya's Space Agency said the hunk of metal was probably the separation ring from a rocket. An official said: "Our experts will…keep the public informed." It said this was "an isolated case".
More companies and countries are launching rockets into space. The space race is heating up. Many satellites from the USA, China and India are now orbiting Earth and going into deep space. Commercial companies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have sent dozens of rockets into low-Earth orbit. Europe's space agency estimated that there are over 14,000 tons of debris circling our planet. This includes over 170 million pieces that are wider than one millimetre. Most of these harmlessly burn up upon re-entry into our atmosphere.
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