We need a ‘Planetary Neural Network’ for AI-enabled space infrastructure protection

You may not see it with the naked eye, but in Earth’s orbit, a silent crisis is unfolding. With over 11,000 active satellites currently in orbit — a number expected to reach between 30,000 and 60,000 by 2030 — 40,500 tracked objects of 10 cm and more, 1.1 million pieces of space debris between 1 and 10 centimeters, 130 million pieces of space debris between 1 millimeter and 1 centimeter, our orbital infrastructure faces unprecedented challenges. Traditional space monitoring systems that were designed for a much simpler era of space operations are struggling to keep pace with this exponential growth in orbital activity and space debris accumulation.