low earth orbit
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Europe’s Space Agency Invests in an Orbital Trash Removal Service
The European Space Agency is joining forces with Astroscale, an orbital debris removal company, to thin the massive cloud of space debris orbiting Earth. This effort will pave the way for communications company OneWeb to continue building its telecommunication network.
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Debris From Russian Anti-Satellite Test Nearly Slammed Into Chinese Satellite
A Chinese satellite almost bit the dust on Tuesday when debris produced by Russia’s 2021 anti-satellite test zipped past at an uncomfortably close distance.
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Russian Space Junk Hit a Chinese Satellite in March, Evidence Suggests
The mysterious breakdown of the Yunhai 1-02 satellite in March has likely been solved. The discarded remnants of an old Russian rocket appear to have smashed into the Chinese satellite, in what is an ominous sign of things to come in our increasingly cluttered low Earth orbit.
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Earth’s Low Orbit Needs Legal Protection Before It Becomes A Cosmic Junkyard
The area immediately above our planet where most of our satellites live might seem like an inexhaustible place, but it’s not. Low Earth orbit is quickly filling up with all sorts of junk, and the potential for a disaster has never been greater. Here’s how laws and international treaties can help—and why we need to…