Space Junk Economics: How Satellite Profits Could Trigger Orbital Collapse

As the number of satellites orbiting Earth increases, so too does the risk of collisions—producing hazardous debris that threatens the long-term sustainability of outer space. Recently, Rao & Rondina (2025) developed a dynamic model that integrates physics and economics to explore the conditions under which such collisions may escalate into Kessler syndrome—a catastrophic cascade of self-perpetuating debris growth that could render valuable orbital regions unusable.