Earth's orbit is becoming increasingly crowded, with a surge in satellite activity raising concerns over potential collisions. According to the Indian Space Situational Assessment Report 2025, more than 1.5 lakh close-approach alerts were issued for Indian space assets this year, pointing to growing congestion in orbital paths.
Rising congestion in Earth's orbit
The report indicates that nearly 1.6 lakh alerts were generated globally, many of them by the US Space Command’s Combined Space Operations Centre. Each alert signals a potential close encounter between objects in space, underlining how packed Earth's orbit has become.
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With thousands of satellites and debris pieces moving at high speeds, even minor miscalculations can pose risks to operational missions.
ISRO steps up monitoring
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been closely tracking its satellites to minimise risks. As per available data, Indian missions carried out 18 collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAM) in 2025. Of these, 14 were conducted in low Earth orbit (LEO) and four in geosynchronous orbit (GEO).
These manoeuvres are critical in ensuring satellites remain operational and avoid dangerous proximity with other objects.
"All manoeuvre plans, including CAMs, were subjected to close-approach risk analysis to rule out potential close approach with neighbouring space objects within a few days of the manoeuvres; 82 manoeuvre plans were revised to avoid post-manoeuvre close approaches with other space objects for LEO satellites, and two were revised to avoid post-manoeuvre conjunctions for GEO satellites," the report suggested, as quoted by the outlet.
Surge in global space activity
The rise in alerts comes alongside a sharp increase in global launches. In 2025, 315 successful launches placed 4,651 objects into orbit, up from 254 launches in 2024 and 212 the year before. Out of these, 4,198 are operational satellites.
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Although 1,911 objects re-entered Earth’s atmosphere during the year, the overall trend points to a steady increase in orbital traffic.
The data highlights a clear pattern: Earth's orbital environment is becoming more crowded and complex. As satellite deployments continue to rise, managing space traffic and avoiding collisions will remain a key challenge for space agencies worldwide.
