Space Debris

India's small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV) made a spectacular debut launch on Sunday, but the mission fell short of overall success when two satellites were inserted into the incorrect orbit, rendering them space junk. The SSLV was developed to carry payloads of up to 500kg to low Earth orbits on…

History remembers October 4, 1957, a lot better than it remembers January 4, 1958—though in recent weeks, the second date is coming to loom larger than the first. October 4, 1957, was the day the Soviet Union Launched Sputnik—the world’s first satellite—an achievement that heralded the start of the space…

Home News Science & Astronomy A piece of presumed space debris sits upright in a field in Australia. (Image credit: Brad Tucker, Author provided)This article was originally published at The Conversation. (opens in new tab) The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Fabian Zander (opens in new tab),…

SYDNEY: A charred chunk of space junk found jutting from a paddock by an Australian sheep farmer was confirmed to be part of one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX missions by authorities Thursday. The ethereal-looking debris, believed to have plummeted to Earth on July 9, was found last week in Dalgety…

Three pieces of space junk found in Australia have been linked to a mission by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the country’s space agency said. “The agency has confirmed the debris is from a SpaceX mission and continues to engage with our counterparts in the U.S., as well as other parts of…

Illustration of debris reentering. Image: PaulFleet via Getty Images ABSTRACT breaks down mind-bending scientific research, future tech, new discoveries, and major breakthroughs. Rocket debris from two different orbital missions has come crashing down to Earth in recent weeks, ending up in rural Australia and off the coast of the Philippines,…

Remnants of a Chinese rocket launched last week hurtled back into Earth’s atmosphere on Sunday, prompting a stern rebuke from the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over how Beijing handles its space junk. The Chinese Manned Space Agency said in a post on Weibo that most of…

By NASA July 30, 2022 A Long March-5B Y3 rocket blasting off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of the southern island province of Hainan. Credit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator released this statement Saturday, July 30 regarding debris from the Chinese…

NASA Administrator Statement on Chinese Space Debris...Read More

Spaceflight, despite its origins in cold war saber-rattling, is often portrayed as a purely beneficial endeavor that somehow helps all of humanity: Satellites provide invaluable planet-scale situational awareness and connectivity. Space telescopes and interplanetary probes deliver transformative discoveries about our place in the universe. Astronautical missions help satisfy our species’…