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 Space debris
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Unlike aircraft or cars, we can’t easily take satellites to a repair workshop.
Proposals to put data centres in space have many hidden costs.
From space hotels and artificial meteor showers, to a new giant mirror that reflects sunlight to Earth — low-Earth orbit is getting weird.
Properly addressing the problem of space requires work across three fronts: technology, policy and philosophy.
How prepared are we for a solar storm, bad software update or cybersecurity event that could trigger widespread loss of satellite control?
Only by fostering a deeper sense of ‘space citizenship’ will everyone benefit from our journeys to the Moon – and beyond.
Some engineers are prioritizing ‘design for demise’ and planning satellites that are more likely to completely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their lifespan.
A new study provides the first evidence that re-entering space debris pollutes Earth’s upper atmosphere.
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.
There are elements of these ancient, distant George Lucas stories that might seem like science fiction but are, in fact, science reality.
The number of satellites is exploding, and we still don’t have a fully safe way to dispose of them.
The Intelsat 33e communications satellite unexpectedly broke up in orbit, creating at least 20 fragments. How do we track the growing amounts of orbital debris?
More frequent wildfires, emissions from rocket launches and more satellite debris burning up in the atmosphere all contribute to ozone depletion and could slow the recovery of the ozone layer.
The New Zealand Space Agency’s dual role as regulator and sector developer introduces a conflict of interest and skews the aerospace industry towards economic growth, at the cost of sustainability.
As the number of satellites and rocket launches increases, so does the amount of discarded rockets and components. This space junk risks falling to Earth, as it did in Saskatchewan this spring.
Sabotaged space stations, falsified space probe data and faked alien contact are just a few of the scenarios a report on space cybersecurity outlines.
Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are among those most vocal about the benefits of exploring, mining and colonising space.
Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon made 2023 a big year for lunar exploration, and future years will come with even more discoveries.
Top contributors
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Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, The Open University
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Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University
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Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia
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Emeritus Professor of International Law, Western Sydney University
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Associate Professor, Astronomy, University of Regina
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Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
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Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
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Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Centre for Space Governance; Associate Expert, National Security College, Australian National University
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Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
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Associate professor, University of Southern Queensland
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Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
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Associate Dean of Innovation and Engagement, Swinburne University of Technology
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Associate Professor in Astronomy, Monash University
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Professor of Space Physics, Lancaster University
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Professor of Advanced Technology Transitions, Arizona State University