Japan's war on space junk

Record numbers of satellite launches by China, Russia and U.S. are crowding Earth's orbit

20230208 Cover Space junk img

© Getty Images

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei staff writer

AIOI, Japan -- On a quiet day at work around ten years ago, Tadanori Fukushima started receiving alarming email messages from a sender he did not recognize. The emails warned that his company's broadcasting satellite -- worth roughly $150 million -- was on a collision course with an unidentified object. The sender turned out to be the U.S. Air Force.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.