Oct 9, 2026 · 15 min
Satellite growth outpaces the rules governing orbit
Space Is Getting Crowded. And Nobody’s in Charge
As governments, companies, and militaries expand space activity, crowded low Earth orbit is becoming harder to monitor and govern safely.
- 1Rapid satellite launches are crowding low Earth orbit faster than existing oversight and coordination can respond.
- 2Ed Lu’s tracking work shows why debris management and reliable orbital data are becoming essential infrastructure.
- 3Moore’s Law helps explain why exponential technological growth makes long-term space planning increasingly difficult.
Don't miss
Ed Lu’s discussion of rapidly increasing satellite activity makes the collision and debris risks of crowded low Earth orbit concrete.
The brief
Space is entering a new phase shaped by governments, private companies, commerce, warfare, and artificial intelligence, but the rules are not advancing at the same speed.
Former astronaut Ed Lu and LeoLabs offer a view from low Earth orbit, where rising satellite launches make tracking objects and avoiding collisions increasingly difficult.
The episode uses Gordon Moore’s history and Moore’s Law to explain why exponential growth in computing and space technology complicates long-term planning.
As more countries develop space programs and China plans a massive satellite constellation, orbital congestion becomes a coordination problem, not just a technical one.
The central argument is practical: better debris tracking and fewer avoidable risks are urgent as activity in orbit accelerates beyond existing oversight.