Space debris is any artificial object in orbit around the Earth which no longer serves any useful function. Such debris includes nonfunctional and retired satellites, abandoned stages of launch vehicles and fragmented debris. The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles. The Space Debris Collision Avoidance and Applied Research Team (SD-CAART) focuses on four research fields:

Precise Orbit Determination;
Space Debris Collision Avoidance;
Performance Evaluation for Space Surveillance Equipments;
Space Event Analysis. This unit also contributes to Space Debris Software Development.