Tag: Space Policy
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Canada’s Jeremy Hansen Talks Artemis 2 with Curious Students as Launch Window Nears
Canada’s Jeremy Hansen Answers Kids’ Questions as Artemis 2 Nears With less than 100 days until Artemis 2 opens its lunar chapter, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen faced a sea of curious questions from Grade 5 and 6 students at St. Jude Elementary School on Montreal’s South Shore. The event, held at the Canadian Space Agency…
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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…
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The Space Junk Crisis: Why Orbital Debris Is The Next Big Threat To Our Future
Introduction: A crowded orbit and rising stakes Space has long symbolized ambition, innovation, and exploration. But as humanity’s footprint around Earth expands, so does a hidden threat: orbital debris. Thousands of defunct satellites, spent stages, and shattered fragments—collectively dubbed “cosmic junk”—now zigzag through the near-Earth environment at stunning speeds. The consequences aren’t just theoretical: each…
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Reflect Orbital’s Night-Sunlight Plan: Light Management, Fear, and Forward Steps
What Reflect Orbital aims to do US-based startup Reflect Orbital has proposed a bold, controversial concept: reflect sunlight toward Earth at night. BloomBERG reports the company has applied to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to launch Earendil-1, an 18-meter-long experimental satellite, in 2026. The goal is not just one satellite but the…
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Satellite Sunlight at Night: Reflect Orbital’s Bold Plan Faces Scientific Pushback
Overview: A new frontier in nighttime energy In a move that sounds like science fiction, a California startup, Reflect Orbital, is pursuing a license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch a test satellite that would reflect sunlight onto Earth on demand. The audacious goal is to create a constellation of nearly 4,000…
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SpaceX Aims for Back-to-Back Starship Success: Monday Launch to Push Starship’s Reliability
SpaceX Targets a Second Consecutive Starship Flight SpaceX is positioned to test Starship’s reliability once more as the company eyes a Monday launch from its Starbase facility in South Texas. If weather and technical conditions cooperate, Starship and its Super Heavy booster will make their 11th flight test, following an August mission that captured global…
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ISS Astronaut Captures Stunning Starlink Satellite Train Over a Green Aurora
Stunning View from the ISS An extraordinary video captured from the International Space Station offers a rare glimpse of a sprawling line of SpaceX Starlink satellites streaking across the Earth’s night sky. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, renowned for his amateur photography, shared footage of the Starlink “train” cruising above a shimmering green aurora. The aurora,…
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Sunlight on Demand: The Controversial Plan to Beam Nighttime Light from Space
Overview: A Bold, Controversial Idea A US startup called Reflect Orbital is proposing a strikingly ambitious plan: beam sunlight from space to Earth to power solar farms after sunset. The concept hinges on giant mirrors in orbit that reflect solar energy down to specific ground locations, potentially enabling round-the-clock solar power. The project could begin…
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Opportunity to Join the International Mars Exploration Working Group Sub-Group on Planetary Protection
Overview The International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) invites interested researchers, engineers, and policy experts to apply for a newly forming sub-working group focused on planetary protection and international science priorities. This group will shape the strategy and scope for future robotic and crewed Mars exploration during the transition period leading up to 2026 and…
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Opportunity To Apply To A New International Mars Exploration Working Group on Planetary Protection
Opportunity Overview The International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) is establishing a new sub-working group dedicated to identifying international science and planetary protection goals and priorities. This transition period will guide the future joint robotic and crewed exploration of Mars, ensuring that scientific objectives are balanced with robust planetary protection measures. The working group will…