A Soviet satellite launched 45 years ago broke apart in orbit
The Soviet meteorological satellite "Meteor-2-7," launched in 1981, has fragmented in low Earth orbit. LeoLabs, a space tracking company, detected several dozen debris pieces near the spacecraft.
Soviet satellite launched 45 years ago disintegrated in orbit
According to information provided by the company, the incident was recorded while the satellite was flying over one of the tracking sites in Western Australia. The report did not disclose the reason why the spacecraft disintegrated.
LeoLabs assessed this situation as the latest in a series of similar incidents observed in recent months. The company emphasized that such events demonstrate a growing threat to spacecraft safety and underscore the need for continuous monitoring.
The disintegration of several spacecraft had also been recorded prior to "Meteor-2-7". In particular, the disintegration of the US reconnaissance satellite USA 32, dating back to the Cold War era, was confirmed in September 2026.
At the end of August, a stage of a Chinese rocket broke apart in low Earth orbit. More than four months before that, a similar incident occurred with a satellite belonging to SpaceX's Starlink system. In January, a Russian inspector satellite disintegrated at a much higher altitude — in geostationary orbit.
Experts have been warning for many years that the increasing number of spacecraft in orbit heightens the risk of collisions. The disintegration of a single satellite creates new fragments, which can strike other spacecraft and cause even more debris to be generated.
According to European Space Agency data cited in the material, the number of tracked space debris objects in Earth orbit was nearly 16 thousand in 2005. By 2026, this figure exceeded 44 thousand — representing an increase of approximately 180 percent.
Space debris travels at extremely high speeds. For this reason, a collision with even a small piece can cause serious damage to a satellite.
Spacecraft are forced to avoid not only debris, but also other satellites. Traffic is becoming especially congested in low Earth orbit.
The material also cites data submitted by SpaceX to the US Federal Communications Commission. According to it, during the period from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, each Starlink satellite performed more than 40 collision avoidance maneuvers per year.