Satellites that observe our planet, like Remote Sensing and Weather satellites , often travel in LEOs because from this height they can capture very detailed images of Earth's surface. The LEO environment is getting very crowded. The United States Space Command keeps track of the number of satellites in orbit. This is a graphic display of the objects in low earth orbit. According to the USSC, there are more than 8,000 objects larger than a softball now circling the globe.
Some people worry about the number of items now in low earth orbit.
Not all of these things are working satellites. There are pieces of metal from old rockets, broken satellites, even frozen sewage. At 17,000 mph, even a small bolt can hit a space shuttle with the impact of a hand grenade.