Does Space Junk Fall Down On Earth?
Space junk orbiting a few hundred km above Earth’s surface could collide with small quantities of air molecules, and the friction can slow down the objects, so they will finally fall down on Earth.
In November 2008, an astronaut lost a tool bag during a space walk at the International Space Station, which orbits 400 km above Earth. The bag orbited Earth, coming ever closer, until it burned up in the atmosphere 258 days later.
ALTITUDE DETERMINES THE LIFE SPAN OF SPACE JUNK Less than 600 km above Earth:
The space junk will fall down in a matter of a few years.
600-1,000 km above Earth:
The space junk takes several decades to fall down.
1,000+ km above Earth:
The space junk takes several centuries to fall down.