Collaborate Disseminate
It turns out the rocket that is predicted to impact the Moon on March 4 is not the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after all, but the upper stage of a Chinese Long March 3C used to launch the Chang’e 5-T1 lunar flyby mission in 2014.Continue R… Continue reading Rocket heading for Moon collision was launched by China, not SpaceX
Showing that space junk isn’t a local problem, observations by amateur astronomers have determined that the upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched in 2015 will impact the Moon on March 4 at 12:25 GMT.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTa… Continue reading Discarded SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the Moon
On the morning of November 15, a Russian missile destroyed a satellite in orbit above Earth. The successful test of the anti-satellite weapon has infuriated many in the space industry, …read more Continue reading Russian Anti-Satellite Weapon Test Draws Widespread Condemnation
On a dark night in 2006 I was bicycle commuting to my office, oblivious to the countless man made objects orbiting in the sky above me at thousands of miles …read more Continue reading Space Age Road Rage: Right Of Way Above The Karman Line
There are currently tens of thousands of pieces of manmade debris whizzing around the Earth at blazing fast speeds, the result of things like busted up rocket parts and fragmented satellites. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has grand plan… Continue reading Rocket Lab to launch space junk inspection mission for JAXA
Low Earth orbit was already relatively crowded when only the big players were launching satellites, but as access to space has gotten cheaper, more and more pieces of hardware have …read more Continue reading Pinning Tails on Satellites to Help Prevent Space Junk
Purdue University engineers have developed a space-debris-clearing drag sail called Spinnaker3 that is designed to speed up the deorbiting of space junk up to 400 miles (645 km) high so it safely burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The sail will be put… Continue reading Space-junk sail to help deorbit its own launch vehicle
Private orbital debris removal company Astroscale has validated its magnetic capture system that is designed to tackle the problem of space debris. Its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) servicer satellite managed to capture a si… Continue reading ELSA-d spacecraft captures “space debris” in orbit for the first time
Continue reading Getting Rid of All the Space Junk in Earth’s Backyard
The International Space Station (ISS) made an emergency course correction to move it out of the path of a then-unidentified piece of space debris earlier this week. The Russian Progress 75 cargo ship fired its thrusters for 150 seconds in order to make… Continue reading The ISS changes course to dodge space debris on short notice