Hazardous objects orbiting Earth at high speed, including stages from rockets that jettison satellites into orbit and the satellites themselves once they die, but also smaller objects including paint chips that flake away from the outsides of devices, nuts and bolts, etc.
The Guardian, ['We've left junk everywhere': why space pollution could be humanity's next big problem](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/26/weve-left-junk-everywhere-why-space-pollution-could-be-humanitys-next-big-problem), 25.3.2017.
Based on National Geographic website, [Space junk is a huge problem - and it’s only getting bigger](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/reference/space-junk/), (25.5.2020).