SpaceX is pushing the federal government to write strict regulations for managing space trash to keep the environment clean for future launches. Millions of pieces of space junk?like paint flecks, defunct satellites, and spent rocket boosters?orbit the Earth at tens of thousands of miles per hour, according to NASA. SpaceX, formally Space Exploration Technologies Corp., wants to ensure that debris, especially obsolete satellites, doesn't interfere with its rocket launches or other space operations. "Maintaining a clean orbital environment is fundamental for each of these essential aspects of SpaceX's business," the company wrote in a May 6 comment the Federal Communications Commission posted online May 7. The company also suggests creating more stringent rules for satellites orbiting near and above the International Space Station, to reduce the chance of old satellites striking the station and harming the astronauts aboard. An estimated 34,000 objects 10 centimeters or larger pose an increasing threat to survival in space. A chunk of aluminum about the size of an aspirin tablet could strike a spacecraft with the force of a 400-pound safe traveling at 60 miles per hour.
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