Space Debris

Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the lower orbit around the Earth has become an increasingly congested environment with more than 2,200 satellite launches to date. Those satellites – along with launch vehicle components and debris from mechanical disintegration, collisions and explosions – now fill this region with…

FP TrendingMay 13, 2020 10:58:08 ISTPart of a Chinese rocket weighing around 18,000 kgs crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday in an uncontrolled descent. The debris measured 30.48 metres. According to a report in Science Alert, this is the most significant uncontrolled descent of human-made space debris in decades.…

The space debris problem is hitting home, literally.Last week, China’s space program debuted a new rocket that expands its ability to do big projects in low-Earth orbit. The launch of the Long March 5B demonstrated a new space capsule for carrying astronauts to orbit. It also appears to have dropped…

Getty ImageHere’s something that was bound to happen sooner or later. A 37,000 pound Chinese Long March 5B rocket hurtled itself towards Earth uncontrolled a speeds reaching thousands of miles per hour. I say it was bound to happen, and probably will happen many more times in the near future,…

Russian rocket tanks used to launch a radio telescope have broken up into 65 chunks, littering Earth’s orbit with debris. The tanks, dumped from the Fregat-SB upper stage of the Zenit-3SLBF rocket that took the Spektr-R radio telescope into orbit in 2011, disintegrated on Friday, Roscosmos said on Sunday. “According…

The U.S military is tracking an uncontrolled, 100 feet long and 16 feet wide Chinese rocket that is expected to plunge to earth from space today, making it the largest object to fall out of orbit in decades. China’s Long March 5B rocket was launched May 5 from the Wenchang launch center…

Russian rocket disintegrates in Earth's orbit leaving behind 65 pieces of dangerous space debris that could damage other satellitesThe upper stage of a Russian rocket broke apart over the Indian ocean on May 8 The rocket was used to launch the Spektr-R radio telescope into orbit in 2011 Fregat-SB is a type…

File photo of a Long March 5 core stage on a previous mission. Credit: XinhuaA Chinese rocket measuring around 100 feet long that launched earlier this month will likely plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere some time Monday, becoming the most massive object in decades to fall out of orbit in…

Starlink satellites in orbit preparing for deployment. (SpaceX) MATT WILLIAMS, UNIVERSE TODAY 8 MAY 2020 In 2015, Elon Musk announced that his company, SpaceX, would be deploying satellites to orbit that would provide high-speed broadband internet access to the entire world. Known as Starlink, SpaceX began deploying this constellation in…

In light of social distancing measures, high school and college students graduating during the coronavirus pandemic have been forced to skip the traditional cap and gown ceremonies. That sacrifice likely stings a bit more for students from immigrant families, many of whom overcame untold challenges in order to earn their…