Dhaka, May 7 -- Increasing solar activity, marked by rising sunspot numbers, is causing space debris in low Earth orbit to lose altitude and fall back toward Earth more quickly, according to new research.

The study, published on May 6 in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, found that satellites and debris in low Earth orbit are more rapidly pulled downward when the Sun reaches its active phase in its roughly 11-year cycle.

Researchers say the finding could help improve space mission planning at a time when growing amounts of orbital debris are increasing the risk of collisions with operational satellites and spacecraft.

The research team, led by astrophysicist Ayisha Ashruf from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, tracked 17 piece...