Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Space debris and re-entry · Low Earth orbit · 2009–2026

Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collision

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 1 not measured See the gaps

On 10 February 2009 the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites collided at about 776–791 km altitude. The catalogue lists 1,715 pieces from Cosmos 2251 and 657 from Iridium 33.

2,372 / 727Catalogued pieces / still in orbit on 15 Oct 2026
Cosmos 2251: 1,715 / 611; Iridium 33: 657 / 116. CelesTrak catalogue count.

Status As of 15 October 2026: 727 of 2,372 catalogued pieces remained in orbit; no ruling, liability finding or cost figure is on record in the sources reviewed.

What?
Two satellites, Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251, collided in orbit.
Where?
Low Earth orbit at about 776–791 km altitude.
When?
10 February 2009.
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
The sources reviewed do not state a cause.
How?
The two satellites collided.
5 of 6 questions answered from the record · open: who

What happened

The record, in order.

On 10 February 2009 the satellites Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collided at about 776 to 791 km altitude. The event details are from the European Space Agency (ESA) report.

The CelesTrak catalogue lists 1,715 pieces from Cosmos 2251 and 657 from Iridium 33. On 15 October 2026, 611 of the Cosmos 2251 pieces and 116 of the Iridium 33 pieces were still in orbit.

NASA's Orbital Debris Quarterly News (ODQN 29-3) said that the 2009 collision and the 2007 Fengyun-1C anti-satellite test together "more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude".

  1. 200711 January: China's Fengyun-1C anti-satellite test (3,532 catalogued pieces)
  2. 200910 February: Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collide at about 776–791 km
  3. 201927 March: India's Mission Shakti anti-satellite test
  4. 202615 October: 611 of 1,715 Cosmos 2251 pieces and 116 of 657 Iridium 33 pieces still in orbit (CelesTrak)

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude”

NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News 29-3, on the Fengyun-1C test and the Iridium–Cosmos collision together · 2025

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

    Recorded

    • Cosmos 2251: 1,715 catalogued pieces, 611 still in orbit on 15 October 2026.
    • Iridium 33: 657 catalogued pieces, 116 still in orbit on 15 October 2026.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What nature saw

    Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

    Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

    Cosmos 2251 pieces catalogued / in orbit
    1,715 / 611
    CelesTrak, 15 October 2026
    Iridium 33 pieces catalogued / in orbit
    657 / 116
    CelesTrak, 15 October 2026
    Effect on catalogued objects below 1,000 km
    More than doubled
    With the 2007 Fengyun-1C test; NASA ODQN 29-3

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
    No court case

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Court

    Did the harm stop?

    The sources reviewed do not describe any measure taken after the collision; 727 of the 2,372 catalogued pieces were still in orbit on 15 October 2026.

    Who paid?

    The sources reviewed do not state who bore costs of the collision.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
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