Space Sustainability Infographc

Satellites power navigation, weather monitoring, communications, and early warning systems—but continued access to these services depends on sustainable practices in space.

Secure World Foundation developed this infographic with Visual Capitalist to raise awareness of space sustainability challenges and solutions. It explains why the orbital environment is at risk and what’s needed to preserve it.

The piece outlines three key threats:

• Debris: Defunct objects and fragments now number in the millions. Even small particles can damage satellites and create cascading collisions.
• Crowding: Commercial satellite growth, especially in low Earth orbit, is increasing traffic with few rules in place.
• Security: Military competition has led to counterspace weapon development, some of which create more debris through testing.

The infographic also describes solutions, including traffic coordination, active debris removal, data sharing, and norms of behavior.

Accurate as of October 6, 2021.