Items tagged with Satellite
NASA has a SSPICY take on how to enable commercial inspection of defunct, or inoperable, satellites in low Earth orbit. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission will be a precursor to capturing and repairing, or removing, the satellites.
With more satellites going up into low Earth...
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A new research paper claims an intense solar storm in May may have caused a massive satellite and space debris migration. The authors noted the May 2024 geomagnetic storm was the first such event to occur during a period when low-Earth orbit satellite launches have grown dramatically, and highlights the need for the...
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The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has grounded SpaceX’s Falcon 9 program following an incident this week where an engine failure left Starlink satellites on a shallow orbital path. SpaceX reported the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, during which the satellites should burn up entirely.
On July 11...
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North Korea’s attempt to launch a second spy satellite into space ended in a fireball. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is North’s official news agency, reported the rocket blew up because of a suspected engine problem.
The failed launch came just hours after leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan met...
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The Pentagon announced it believes Russia launched a satellite into low-Earth orbit that might be a counter-space weapon. The Russian satellite is said to be in the “same orbit” as a US government satellite, and Washington says it will continue to monitor the situation in order to protect its assets in space.
Both...
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SpaceX recorded its 51st orbital mission of 2024 in spectacular fashion, as the launch produced a jellyfish-like effect in the evening skies above Florida. The launch was also the Falcon 9 booster’s record setting 21st flight, with two other boosters close behind with 20 launches under their belt.
SpaceX launched...
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As the space around Earth becomes more crowded with satellites and other spacecraft, NASA has a plan for a sustainable future within the cosmos. The space agency recently released the first part of its integrated Space Sustainability Strategy, marking initial progress for NASA on the issue at hand.
It feels like...
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Sources familiar with the project say SpaceX entered into a classified contract with a US intelligence agency to build a network of spy satellites. The new venture is believed to fall under a $1.8 billion contract signed with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that oversees the operation...
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A Japanese launch service provider’s attempt to become the first private entity in Japan to launch a satellite into orbit ended abruptly, mere seconds after liftoff. Space One’s solid-fuel Kairos rocket executed an abort command after detecting an issue, leading to a spectacular explosion.
Just five seconds after...
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NASA made the decision to cease and desist with its $2B OSAM-1 (On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) project due to continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges. The now defunct project was also abandoned because of a lack of desire among the broader community for refueling unprepared spacecraft...
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NASA confirmed a near miss between its own TIMED satellite and Russia’s defunct Cosmos 2221 satellite. If the two had collided, it could have generated considerable debris at about 373 miles (600km) above Earth’s surface.
The Department of Defense was closely monitoring the situation between the two satellites...
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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No! It’s a satellite falling from space! A 2.5-ton European Space Agency (ESA) satellite that launched in 1995 is about to make a grand return to Earth today. During its service life, the ERS-2 satellite collected data on Earth’s land surfaces, oceans, and polar caps and monitored natural...
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The House Intelligence Committee chairman issued a warning this week of a “national security threat” in light of intel suggesting Russia is seeking to put a nuclear weapon in space. Lawmakers quickly tried to ease the public’s mind on the situation, even though one source remarked it was “very concerning” and a big...
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While ring formations around small objects in the solar system are not well understood, new research suggests one theory for why thin rings may exist around those that orbit between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Chariklo, classified as a Centaur, was the first asteroid ever found to have a ring system...
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Amazon has inked a deal with Blue Origin rival SpaceX for three Falcon 9 launches to support deployment of Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband network. The company previously secured 77 heavy-lift rockets from Arianespace, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance, which should be enough...
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History's first ever fine for space junk has been issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Dish Network. This move is an early warning to other satellite operators that Congress is getting serious about space debris. Is it enough, however?
In an announcement this week, the FCC said that is had...
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Astronomers are slamming a massive low-Earth orbit communications satellite because it is brighter in the night sky than most stars. Astronomers are concerned that without some type of regulation on these extremely bright satellites, the effect could be detrimental to observing the stars from Earth and performing...
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ClearSpace-1 is part of the first-ever mission to remove existing space debris from orbit through a highly precise and close proximity operation. The upcoming cleanup mission will target a defunct rocket part that was launched into space in 2013.
With companies like SpaceX launching more satellites than ever while...
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Researchers have set a new record for the fastest space-to-ground laser communications with data rates of 200 gigabits per second. The blistering speed is 100 times faster than the swiftest internet speeds in most major cities, and is capable of transmitting more than 2 TBs of data in a single five-minute pass over a...
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Scientists are still discovering new aspects of eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga last year that sent plumes of ash 35 miles above the ground. The latest finding of this powerful eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai indicates the blast was strong enough to cause plasma bubbles in the ionosphere that can...
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Residents in Kyiv were left baffled after a bright object was observed in the sky around 22:00 local time. The object was at first thought to be a NASA satellite reentering Earth's atmosphere, but the space agency responded that the satellite in question was still in orbit at the time of the sighting.
The Ukrainian...
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Rocket Lab successfully launched its "Stronger Together" mission from Launch Complex 2 in spectacular fashion yesterday. It was the space company's second launch from the complex and its 34th Electron mission overall.
When people think about rocket launches, their minds typically go toward SpaceX. However, there...
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