Foreword Humanity has never been more interconnected or data-driven than it is today, and space infrastructure sits at the heart of this transformation. Satellites enable global connectivity, power our economies and underpin the digital systems on which we depend every day. They provide communications in disaster zones, deliver tele-education to remote communities, monitor environmental changes, track disruptions in global supply chains, support farmers in managing their crops and keep our navigation and timing systems running. Over the years, we have grown heavily reliant on data coming from or through the satellites orbiting our planet. Yet this infrastructure is under increasing pressure. The World Economic Forum and the Centre for Space Futures have jointly led several community consultations to assess the escalating risk and economic cost of space debris, particularly the growing collision risk it presents over the coming decade. Through close collaboration with the Saudi Space Agency and LeoLabs to develop an orbital population model, and with Novaspace to produce an economic forecast, this report quantifies the potential economic impact of space debris on the global space economy. Under the most optimistic assumptions, space debris imposes a significant and growing economic burden on the sector, even while the current estimated impact may appear temporarily manageable. The projected cumulative cost between 2025 and 2035, ranging between $25.8 billion and $42.3 billion, represents a business-as-usual scenario, one that assumes no major debris-generating events occur. This cost can be viewed as an implicit “tax” on the global space economy, which will only rise in the decades to come. If the ambitions of a rapidly expanding space economy, encompassing commercial space stations, large satellite constellations and global satellites services are to be realized sustainably, urgent progress is needed in regulation, methodologies, international collaboration, technology innovation and investment. We hope this publication provides the global space community with valuable insights and guidance to address this growing challenge. Ensuring that the benefits of space remain accessible, reliable and sustainable for all is not only a technical imperative but a shared global responsibility. We invite the community to share their perspectives and feedback as we continue to shape collective solutions for a safer, more sustainable orbital environment. Mishaal Ashemimry Managing Director, Centre for Space Futures, Saudi ArabiaJeremy Jurgens Managing Director and Head of the Centre for Frontier Technologies and Innovation, World Economic Forum Clear Orbit, Secure Future: A Call to Action on Space DebrisJanuary 2026 Clear Orbit, Secure Future: A Call to Action on Space Debris 3

Clear Orbit Secure Future 2026