Physical properties and long-term evolution of the debris clouds produced by two catastrophic collisions in Earth orbit

The population of cataloged orbital debris increased by approximately 40% in just a couple of years, from January 2007 to February 2009. This was due to two collisions in space, which involved the catastrophic destruction of three intact satellites (Fengyun 1C, Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33) in high inclination orbits. Both events occurred in the altitude range already most affected by previous launch activity and breakup events, thus boosting the cataloged population in low Earth orbit by more than 60%.