When looking at the spectacular test flights of SpaceX's giant rocket Starship, the handful of manned flights to the International Space Station every year or the rare scientific probes exploring the Solar System, one might think that leaving Earth remains a rare event. However, this would be forgetting that the space sector has been in a frenzy of satellite launches for years now, which are taking place on an almost daily basis. There were 211 successful lift-offs in 2023, a record that is set to be broken in 2024.
Stijn Lemmens, a space debris expert at the European Space Agency (ESA), said that "over the last decade, space activities have grown exponentially." This is largely due to Elon Musk, who not only implemented the concept of the reusable rocket but also began deploying his megaconstellation of Starlink satellites, delivering the internet from space. This program is being imitated by other players, both private, like Amazon, and state-owned, with China and the European Union also wanting their own megaconstellations.
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