The US headed the space race in 2023, successfully hosting 109 out of the record-high 210 orbital launches last year.
Elon Musk's SpaceX contributed the most to the US number with 96 successful missions with its Falcon series rockets. China placed second with 66 accomplished launches.
In contrast, Europe pales in comparison with only three contributions to last year's space flights.
The US's record is the highest number of space liftoffs made in a single year, beating the Soviet Union's record of 108 rockets in orbit during the Cold War in 1982.
Majority of the launches made by the US and China were payloads for service providers, particularly the Starlink constellation, as companies race to top on internet connection services.
NASA has also been ramping up its space launches as it prepares for another attempt in sending astronauts to the moon.
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More Space Debris was Recorded in 2023
While the success of the rocket launches indicate better space innovations for countries, environmentalists and scientists have also raised concerns on the increase of space debris.
At least 1 million space debris the size of a penny is currently orbiting Earth faster than a bullet, according to the World Economic Forum.
These floating debris threaten to damage other operating satellites and can even disrupt entire missions.
Experts believe the risk brought by these debris is expected to increase in the near future as more countries joins the second race to the moon.
As of writing, at least 100 lunar missions are being planned by both government agencies and private companies.
This is not to count other space launches for commerce, observation, and tracking. If no preventive measures were taken, the current 7,700 satellites could grow to several hundred thousand by 2027.
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US Lawmakers Push for Regulations on Space Debris
The US has already passed a bill requiring NASA to establish an active space debris removal program "to improve the safety and sustainability of orbiting satellites and on-orbit activities."
The Orbital Sustainability Act of 2023 (ORBITS) was passed unanimously by the Senate last October.
However, no universal regulation has yet been placed to mitigate space debris from other countries.
