Juan Cruz Allonca, director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Space Studies (CIEE), warned that space debris has doubled over the past 15 years, according to data collected by the European Space Agency (ESA). Currently, debris fragments measuring between one and 10 centimeters total around 1,200,000, which amounts to 13,900 tons. Of these, only 41,200 can be tracked and catalogued. For objects smaller than a cellphone, mathematical models confirm their presence but not their exact location. The issue is that these fragments travel in low Earth orbit at 27,000 kilometers per hour, meaning they can destroy any object they come into contact with. “Low Earth orbit is an area of congestion and contention,” he added.