A new mission to save NASA’s Swift observatory shows why catching a satellite that was never designed for rescue is one of the hardest jobs in spaceflight.
Articles on Low Earth orbit
Displaying 1 - 20 of 23 articles
Human activity is causing large disruptions to the near-Earth space environment. We need an intergovernmental panel on space sustainability.
NASA’s new plans for its Artemis moon exploration program reduces risks and increases the likelihood of a successful human mission to the moon’s surface in 2028.
Cultural, spiritual, and most environmental impacts aren’t taken into account when launching thousands of satellites.
The closer to Earth a satellite flies, the clearer a picture it can take of the surface. But low-flying satellites also have to deal with atmospheric drag.
Google’s Project Suncatcher would need sophisticated collision avoidance capabilities to navigate a junk-filled landscape.
China has created more space debris than any other country. But as its space program grows, it has more to lose from a collision than ever before.
The International Space Station has hosted astronauts and spacefarers continually for 25 years.
Both geostationary and polar orbiting satellites collect data in the visible and infrared regions. There are polar satellites collecting data in the microwave range.
An overhaul of the mobile network could help us send texts and make calls in even the remotest areas. But there are technical challenges we’d need to overcome.
The amount of space junk will increase as we continue to launch objects into space, but there are ways to curb damage on the ground.
Spaceplanes seemed out of favour when the shuttle was retired in 2011; they now seem to be making a comeback.
Countries have submitted applications for hundreds of thousands of new satellites to be launched. The scale poses challenges for overcrowding orbit, with environmental and safety challenges.
Earth’s orbits are getting more and more crowded. To keep track of everything and avoid collisions and catastrophes, we need a new field: space domain awareness.
We’re currently a few years into the 25th studied solar cycle. An 11-year period of sun activity, this solar cycle is more active than previously expected.
Build a powerful enough laser, and you can shine it into space. Aim it well, and you can blind satellites.
Megaconstellations of satellites will visually clutter the night sky, disrupting astronomical research. And the environmental damage caused by these satellites is still unknown.
China’s Long March 5B rocket, after a successful blast-off in April to deliver a space station module, is now on track to crash-land somewhere with a latitude between New York and New Zealand.
Ten small satellites were launched from 11km above Earth’s surface.
The shift toward mega-constellations is a challenge for global space governance.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Astronomy, University of Regina
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PhD Researcher in Space Law and Policy, Northumbria University, Newcastle
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Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, Penn State
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Research Fellow II, University of Surrey
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Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
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Researcher in the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester
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Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions, Arizona State University
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Associate Dean of Innovation and Engagement, Swinburne University of Technology
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Emeritus Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University
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Ph.D. Student in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology, Arizona State University
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Reader, Brunel University of London
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Vice Chancellors Research Fellow, Northumbria Law School, Northumbria University, Newcastle
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Professor of Hypersonic Aerodynamics, The University of Queensland
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PhD candidate, Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia
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Postdoctoral Fellow in Space Physics, University of Saskatchewan