A study by Ayisha Ashruf from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, India, has found that space debris falls to Earth faster when solar activity is active. The study measured the trajectories of 17 pieces of space junk over a 36-year period, using data from the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. The researchers found that increased solar activity boosted atmospheric density around the space junk, creating more drag which slowed the debris's orbit and sped up their descent. This discovery could help to predict future space operations.