Roughly 11,000 satellites have entered space since the late 1950s, and studies predict there could soon be as many as 70,000. A floating threat? Space junk, which is orbital debris from old satellites and rockets that could collide with—and destroy—working satellites. The seventh edition of McKinsey for Kids explores the stratospheric equivalent of your family’s junk drawer. Click through to see some astronomical stats about satellites and space junk.
To see the interactive, go to “McKinsey for Kids: Space junk—it’s out of this world,” July 13, 2022.