Tag: satellite safety
-
New Zealand Agencies Monitor Largest Solar Radiation Storm in Over Two Decades
Introduction: A Rare Space Weather Event Early this week, space weather watchers in New Zealand joined global partners in monitoring a powerful solar event. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued alerts that an S4-class solar radiation storm is currently in progress. Described as the largest storm of its…
-
Space Debris Surpasses 1.1 Million Pieces, Elevating Orbital and Ground Risks
Unseen Hazard in the Sky: Debris Numbers Now Top 1.1 Million Earth’s orbital environment is increasingly crowded with human-made debris. Analysts estimate there are more than 1.1 million pieces of space debris larger than 1 centimeter currently orbiting the planet, hurtling around at roughly 18,000 miles per hour. This is more than a count statistic:…
-
Space Debris 2025 Crisis: Will Change Happen Soon for Orbit?
Introduction: A Growing Hazard in Orbit Earth is surrounded by a growing cloud of human-made objects racing through space at astonishing speeds. The 2025 orbital debris event highlighted how fragile our space environment has become. From spent rocket bodies to defunct satellites, millions of tiny fragments zip around the planet, posing collision risks to active…
-
Space Debris 2025: Will Any Change Follow the Orbital Emergency?
Introduction: A Warning From the Cosmos Earth’s orbit is crowded with human-made junk—defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and tiny fragments created by collisions and explosions. In 2025, an escalating sequence of near-misses and high-velocity debris underscored a simple but daunting reality: the space around our planet is not a pristine vacuum but a noisy, dangerous…
-
Space Debris: Will It Take a Catastrophe for Nations to Take the Issue Seriously?
Introduction: The rising risk of orbital litter Earth’s orbit is cluttered with defunct satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from collisions and anti-satellite tests. As more players aim to deploy mega-constellations, the density of debris in key orbital regions is increasing, raising the specter of a cascading failure that could jeopardize not just space missions…
-
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…
-
Gannon Solar Storm Shrinks Earth’s Shield: What 2024’s Event Revealed
Overview: A Solar Tempest That Reshaped Space Weather Last year’s solar storm, known in some circles as “Gannon,” delivered more than a spectacular auroral display. According to combined measurements from Japan’s space agency and international partners, the storm temporarily reduced a key protective layer around Earth to roughly one-fifth of its typical size. While the…
-
Satellite Data Reveals 2024 Solar Storm Gannon Shrunk Earth’s Plasma Shield to One-Fifth Size
What happened during the 2024 solar storm known as Gannon In late 2024, a powerful solar storm named Gannon unleashed a barrage of charged particles toward Earth. While such storms are not uncommon, scientists were surprised by the extent of the impact on Earth’s protective layers. Data from multiple satellites indicates that the storm compressed…
-
Solar Superstorm Gannon Crushes Earth’s Plasmasphere
What a Solar Superstorm Is and Why Gannon Matters A geomagnetic superstorm is among the most powerful space weather events, unleashed when the Sun ejects colossal bursts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. Although rare, these events can dramatically alter our near-space environment, disrupt satellite operations, and create dazzling auroras at lower latitudes. The…
-
Space Health Score: Earth’s Orbit Faces a Growing Junk Crisis
What the Space Health Score Means The latest space health score paints a stark picture: Earth’s orbit is increasingly crowded with debris, jeopardizing the reliable operation of satellites, astronauts, and future missions. The space health score isn’t a single number you’d tally on a scale, but a composite indicator that tracks the density of orbital…