Shyam Balasubramanian | ENS We are tracking 30,000 pieces of debris that can cause heavy damage to satellites -- V Adimurthy, dean, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology SPACE debris could be among the biggest concerns in the planning and execution of manned space missions, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology dean V Adimurthy said at a space summit held on Wednesday as part of the 98th Indian Science Congress. The world's major space agencies are in the midst of discussions to fig ure out a way to deal with the problem, he added. "The current trend in space exploration is tending towards manned space exploration and the ideas of space colonisation and terrafor ming," said Adimurthy. "Apart from ra diation belts, a matter of concern, increasing space e debris could really harm our prospects unless propr erly dealt with," he added. e Space debris shot into the limelight since China de stroyed its FY-1C satellite in a missile test. This event alone created 2,317 trackable pieces of debris, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Space debris can include fuel remnants and even flakes of paint that have peeled off satellites and spacecraft, which can cause heavy corrosion to functional satellites. This also include defunct and damaged satellites from the last five decades of human involvement in space. The real matter of concern is pieces of solid debris, which are 10 cm and above. The world's major space agencies have come together under the ageis of the InterAgency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) to figure out an effective way to deal with space debris.