The meteoroid hazard for space navigation
  Thanks to post-flight analyses of several artificial satellites carried out during last years, the meteoroids hazard for space navigation and in-orbit satellites permanence is now clear. Even if catastrophic impact is a rare event, high meteoroids fluxes can erode and weaken the satellite or space station main structures. However, the main danger seems to be the impact-generated plasma, which can produce electromagnetic interferences, disturbing the on-board electronics. 
Luigi Foschini