Space Pollution: Near-Future Risks and Strategic Directives for Low Earth Orbit Sustainability

The rapid commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space pollution, Kessler Syndrome, mega-constellations, space traffic management, and active debris removal (ADR) empirical review. The Rapid Commercialization of Low Earth Orbit: Space Pollution, Congestion, and Sustainability Directives Abstract T he rapid commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has precipitated a fundamental transformation in the near-Earth space environment, transitioning the regime from a sparsely populated domain of state-sponsored exploration into a highly congested commercial ecosystem. This empirical review synthesizes contemporary data on space pollution, assessing the near-future risks associated with orbital congestion, atmospheric contamination, and space traffic management, while evaluating the strategic directives required to ensure long-term space sustainability. Utilizing data from global space surveillance networks, in-situ stratospheric aerosol sampling, long-term evolutionary debris models, and sp…