Tag: Space Junk
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Expert skywatchers quickly solve Pacific Northwest’s meteor mystery
The breakup of a SpaceX rocket stage sparks a light show over Seattle. (Cedric Padilla Photo) Was it a meteor? A broken-up satellite? Maybe a UFO? Leave it to an astronomer to identify what caused the light show that was visible over a wide stretch of the Pacific Northwest around 9 p.m. PT tonight. Jonathan…
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Spaceflight and Tethers Unlimited team up on deorbiting system for satellite carrier
An artist’s conception shows Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX, the first orbital transfer vehicle to debut in the company’s Sherpa-NG (next generation) program. The vehicle is capable of executing multiple deployments, as well as providing independent and detailed deployment telemetry. (Spaceflight Inc. Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. says it’ll use a notebook-sized deorbiting system developed by another Seattle-area company…
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Tethers Unlimited says ‘Terminator Tape’ is speeding up a satellite’s descent as intended
An artist’s conception shows Tethers Unlimited’s Terminator Tape system deployed from a satellite in low Earth orbit. (Tethers Unlimited Illustration) Bothell, Wash.-based Tethers Unlimited says “Terminator Tape,” an experimental tether-based system designed to drag satellites down from orbit, is working the way it’s supposed to. The notebook-sized Terminator Tape system has been placed on several…
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SpaceX reports a ‘bug’ in its alert system after ESA shifts spacecraft to avoid Starlink satellite collision
A computer-generated diagram shows the projected orbital paths of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite and the European Space Agency’s Aeolus satellite. (ESA Graphic via Twitter) The European Space Agency says it performed a collision avoidance maneuver over the Labor Day weekend to head off a potential crash between its Aeolus wind-measuring satellite and one of SpaceX’s Starlink…
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Tethers Unlimited joins forces with TriSept to test system for reducing orbital debris
One version of the Terminator Tape system is designed to be integrated onto a 4-inch-wide CubeSat. A dime is included in the picture for a size comparison. (Tethers Unlimited Photo) Bothell, Wash.-based Tethers Unlimited will have its technology for deorbiting space debris put to its most ambitious test next year, during a satellite mission that…
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Satellite consultant outlines a way-out plan to turn space junk into lunar treasure
A computer-generated image represents the main zones of space debris. The two main debris fields are the ring of objects in geosynchronous Earth orbit and the cloud of objects in low Earth orbit. (NASA Illustration) What can be done with the thousands of dead satellites orbiting Earth? Some commercial ventures are hatching plans to get…
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Air Force sets up $100,000 VQ-Prize contest for space awareness visualization
The VQ-Prize aims to boost the development of new visualization tools for space situational awareness. (Air Force Space Command via YouTube) The U.S. Air Force is looking for a few good apps to visualize satellites and other objects in Earth orbit — and it’s willing to pay $100,000 in prizes for them. That’s the bottom line…
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Space junk removal test begins as ISS deploys RemoveDEBRIS
The RemoveDEBRIS satellite was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, marking the business end of the mission that will test – for the first time – new technology aimed at capturing and deorbiting space junk. The satellite rode to the ISS in the CRS-14 Dragon, following its launch via a Falcon 9 back…
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White House readies new system for space traffic management, VP Mike Pence says
Vice President Mike Pence addresses the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. (Space Symposium via YouTube) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Trump administration is getting set to sign off on a new set of procedures for managing space traffic and minimizing space junk, Vice President Mike Pence said today. During an opening address to the 34th…
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China and U.S. say Tiangong-1 space lab plunged to a fiery doom over the Pacific
An artist’s conception shows the fiery breakup of China’s Tiangong-1 space lab. (AGI Illustration) China’s Tiangong-1 space lab is no more. The 8.5-ton spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere at about 5:15 p.m. PT today (00:15 GMT on April 2) over the Pacific Ocean, and any pieces that survived the fiery plunge should have fallen into the…