Space debris growing exponentially

A problem NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler outlined in 1978: As space becomes more packed with spacecraft and debris, collisions become more likely, creating more debris that could trigger a chain reaction of collisions. There is a possibility that near-Earth space can become a shrapnel field.

The first known case of damage happened in 1996 when a piece of European Ariane rocket struck the French spy satellite, Cerise. Many similar incidents have occurred since then.