How many non-operational satellites does the ESA catalog track specifically?
Answer
About 9,500
When examining the statistics maintained by the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office, a clear distinction is made between the total number of tracked objects (which includes small fragments) and the number of complete, non-functional spacecraft. The data indicates that the ESA tracks roughly 9,500 objects that qualify specifically as non-operational or defunct satellites. This figure highlights an important ratio: for every one of these intact dead satellites, there are multiple smaller pieces of trackable debris resulting from prior destructive events involving other objects or rocket bodies.
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