Latest News About Space Junk and Orbital Debris
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Latest about space junk
New type of Kevlar heading to ISS in October for space debris protection tests
By Tereza Pultarova published
Next-generation space debris protection material is being readied for a test trip to the International Space Station, to see how it holds up in the final frontier.
Hot 'Salsa:' European satellite burns up in landmark controlled reentry (photo)
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
The European Space Agency's Salsa satellite safely deorbited on Sunday (Sept. 8) over a hand-picked region of the South Pacific Ocean.
Japanese company to deorbit big hunk of space junk by 2029
By Tereza Pultarova published
Japanese space-sustainability company Astroscale just signed a $90 million contract to take a bus-sized rocket stage out of orbit by the end of the decade.
Chinese rocket breaks apart after megaconstellation launch, creating cloud of space junk
By Mike Wall published
A Chinese Long March 6A rocket broke apart shortly after launching 18 internet satellites on Aug. 7, creating a cloud of at least 300 pieces of trackable debris.
Test your space debris catching skills in new game released by Astroscale
By Tereza Pultarova published
Space sustainability company Astroscale has launched a free computer game that allows players to test their space debris catching skills in a simulation based on the company's real mission.
Astroscale's space debris removal demo mission funded for 2026 launch
By Tereza Pultarova published
Astroscale's ELSA-M demo space junk collector will remove a defunct OneWeb satellite from orbit in 2027.
Space is becoming an 'unsustainable environment in the long term,' ESA says
By Jackson Ryan published
"Overall, the report is full of bad news that is good news."
Chinese astronauts simulate a debris-strike emergency on the Tiangong space station (video)
By Andrew Jones published
China's Shenzhou 18 mission staged an emergency drill recently to boost preparedness aboard the country's Tiangong space station.
SpaceX Starlink satellites made 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the past 6 months. What does that mean for space safety?
By Tereza Pultarova published
Satellites in SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation made nearly 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the last six months, about double the number made in the previous half-year.
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