Space Debris

Home News An illustration of space junk, or space debris (Image credit: Shutterstock) There's a floating garbage dump orbiting Earth, and it's getting fuller every year.  Space debris — known colloquially as space junk — is the name that scientists give to the thousands of pieces of broken satellites and…

A group of scientists want a legally-binding treaty to ensure Earth’s orbit isn’t irreparably harmed. Published March 9, 2023 02:14PM EST Houston, we have a problem. The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, with landfills groaning under the stress. We've delivered more than 170 trillion plastic…

A new piece of space junk has taken centre stage at a country show in New South Wales, the fifth of its kind found in the Snowy Mountains region. Key points:Pieces of space junk were found near Dalgety in July last yearThe Dalgety Show has celebrated its local ties to the…

Home News Spaceflight New space rules will need to come fast to support commercial space stations and moon settlements, and guard against swiftly-growing space debris. That was a key takeaway message NASA and other government departments delivered to the National Space Council's (NSpC) users' advisory group (opens in new tab),…

BEIJING, Feb.19 -- According to the consensus reached by China, Russia and South Africa, from February 20 to 27, the navies of the three countries will hold the second joint maritime exercise in the eastern waters and airspace from Durban to Richards Bay of South Africa, said the Chinese defense…

Home References Spaceflight Old satellites and used rocket stages remain in orbit around Earth in some cases for thousands of years. (Image credit: European Space Agency) The space around our planet is getting cluttered. Thousands of satellites and millions of out-of-control fragments of space debris hurtle high above our heads,…

Amazon's plan to launch a series of satellites to offer broadband internet service can move ahead now that the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has endorsed the web giant's plan to keep space tidy. Barring unforeseen obstacles, Amazon expects to launch its first Project Kuiper satellites "in early 2023." Project…

A see-off ceremony for three taikonauts of the Shenzhou-15 manned space mission is held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Nov. 29, 2022.(Xinhua/Liu Lei)   BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-15 taikonauts, who are currently on board the Chinese Tiangong space station, will conduct their first…

Home News Spaceflight Some chunks of space junk recovered in Australia were later identified as leftovers from SpaceX's Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station, which launched in November 2020 and returned to Earth in May 2021. (Image credit: Brad Tucker, Author provided) People are finding more and more pieces…

ADEO being deployed from the ION Satellite Carrier during the December 2022 test.Gif: High Performance Space Structure Systems/Gizmodo There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany…