Word.ws English Dictionary

Kessler syndrome

Kessler syndrome proper noun: a theoretical scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit due to space pollution is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade in which each collision generates debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.

Proper noun

the Kessler syndrome

  1. A theoretical scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit due to space pollution is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade in which each collision generates debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.
    Synonyms:
    Kessler effect

Synonyms of Kessler syndrome

Origin of Kessler syndrome

Proposed by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978.

Questions about Kessler syndrome

What does Kessler syndrome mean?
Kessler syndrome means a theoretical scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit due to space pollution is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade in which each collision generates debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.
What part of speech is Kessler syndrome?
Kessler syndrome is a proper noun.

Words near Kessler syndrome in the dictionary

  1. Kessels
  2. Kessinger
  3. Kessingers
  4. Kessler
  5. Kessler effect
  6. Kessler syndrome
  7. Kesslers
  8. Kessner
  9. Kessners
  10. kest
  11. Kestenbaum

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Kessler syndrome (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “Kessler syndrome.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kessler_syndrome. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.