Tag: orbital debris
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Golden satellite insulation sparkles in a test photo of the day: Dec. 30, 2025
Introduction: A spark of insulation in a crowded orbital landscape A new test photo released on December 30, 2025 captures a striking moment from Earth’s increasingly crowded orbital environment. The image features golden satellite insulation that appears to glitter against the backdrop of space, signaling more than a cosmetic flourish. It marks a broader conversation…
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Space Debris: Will a Catastrophe Finally Spur Global Action?
Introduction: The Invisible Threat Lurking Above Us As humanity launches more satellites and missions into space, the orbit around Earth grows increasingly crowded with fragments of defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and collision debris. This accumulation—space debris or space junk—poses a real and evolving risk to operational satellites, manned missions, and the future of space…
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Crash Clock: How Soon Collisions Start After a Severe Solar Storm
What the Crash Clock Really Measures Recently, scientists unveiled a startling way to gauge the immediate dangers posed by space weather and the crowded arena of objects in Earth orbit. The so‑called “Crash Clock” translates a severe solar storm into a concrete timeline showing when satellites and debris would begin to encounter one another if…
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Space health score reveals Earth’s orbit is in serious crisis
Introduction: A crowded, precarious orbital neighborhood Earth’s orbit is increasingly cluttered with man-made debris, from spent rocket stages to tiny fragments created by collisions and explosions. The latest space health score paints a stark picture: nearly 30,000 tracked pieces orbit our planet, and countless smaller fragments remain untracked. This isn’t a distant sci‑fi scenario. It’s…
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China Reaches Out to NASA to Prevent Satellite Collision in Groundbreaking Space Cooperation
Overview of the Breakthrough Cooperation In a notable shift for space governance, China has reached out to NASA to discuss a maneuver intended to prevent a potential collision between satellites. The outreach, described by a space sustainability official, represents the first time a major space power has engaged NASA in a formal effort to coordinate…
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China asks NASA to help prevent satellite collision, marking first-ever space traffic management cooperation
Historic Call for Cooperation in Space Traffic Management In a move that could reshape how international partners address orbital safety, China recently reached out to NASA to discuss a maneuver designed to avert a potential satellite collision. Space sustainability officials described the outreach as the first instance of formal collaboration on space traffic management between…
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Meet Point Nemo, the Final Resting Zone for the ISS by 2030
Introduction: The ISS Era Nears its End For a quarter of a century, the International Space Station (ISS) has orbited Earth, serving as a beacon of international cooperation, scientific discovery, and human endurance in space. On the surface, the milestone of 25 years of continuous human occupation celebrated on a recent Sunday underscores the ISS’s…
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SpaceX Launches 28 Starlink Satellites from California, Rocket Lands at Sea
Overview: A New Batch of Starlink Payloads Lift Off SpaceX fired another wave of Starlink broadband satellites into orbit from California on an evening launch, continuing the rapid cadence that has defined the company’s orbiting efforts in recent years. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in…
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Space Armor: A New Shield Against Space Debris for Satellites and Astronauts
Introducing Space Armor: A Breakthrough in MMOD Shielding In a move that could redefine how humanity operates in low Earth orbit, Atomic-6 of Marietta, Georgia, has unveiled Space Armor, a multi-functional composite designed to protect both spacecraft and astronauts from the relentless onslaught of space debris. The new material is produced via a proprietary fiber-to-resin…
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The Space Junk Crisis: Why Orbital Debris Is the Next Big Threat to Our Future in Space
The Growing Threat of Orbital Debris Space has long stood as a frontier of human ambition, where satellites orbiting Earth enable weather forecasting, communications, GPS, and scientific discovery. Yet the very infrastructure that powers our connected world is increasingly threatened by a growing cloud of debris circling the planet. From defunct satellites to spent rocket…