Space junk can impact other objects at over 22,300 mph, faster than a speeding bullet. Collisions with those tiny pieces often leave pits and dings in the many satellites, telescopes, and other objects orbiting our planet.

Space junk can be dangerous because anything orbiting Earth is moving fast: debris in space travels at roughly 10 kilometers per second. That’s about 300 times faster than the maximum speed on most US highways. And since both objects in a collision would be moving fast, the relative speed would be even higher.

Because debris flying in low Earth orbit (closer to Earth) has a speed of around 11,000km/h, it makes even small objects incredibly dangerous. If a small object, say one that could fit in your hand, hit a satellite at low Earth orbit speed, the satellite would be destroyed.