satellites
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China’s secretive new 'Thousands Sails' satellites are an astronomer's nightmare, 1st observations revealThe launch of the Qianfan satellites on Aug. 6 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
By Harry Baker Published
space-exploration -
Newest Starlink satellites are leaking even more radiation than their predecessors — and could soon disrupt astronomyA new study reveals that Generation 2 Starlink satellites are leaking up to 30 times more radio waves than their predecessors. If SpaceX continues to deploy the newer versions as planned, we could reach an "inflection point" where astronomers can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.
By Harry Baker Published
space-exploration -
Birth of a hurricane: What meteorologists look for as they hunt for early signs of a tropical cyclone formingThe first signs of a potential hurricane can be detected days before a storm gains its fierce momentum.
By Xingchao Chen Published
weather -
Chinese rocket breaks apart after megaconstellation launch, creating cloud of space junkOn Aug. 7, a Chinese rocket broke apart in space, creating more than 300 new pieces of trackable debris.
By Mike Wall Published
space-exploration -
20 satellites fall from sky after catastrophic SpaceX rocket failure, triggering investigationTwenty doomed Starlink satellites, which were prematurely released during a botched Falcon 9 rocket launch last week, have burned up in the upper atmosphere after falling back to Earth, new data confirms. Experts are currently investigating what went wrong.
By Harry Baker Published
space-exploration -
Space junk: How broken satellites are creating a garbage crisis in the skyThousands of pieces of space debris, also known as space junk, are orbiting Earth, with tons more added each year. This orbital debris poses a significant threat to satellites, spacecraft, astronauts — and increasingly humans on Earth.
By Brandon Specktor Last updated
space-exploration -
Haunting photo of Earth and moon snapped by China's experimental lunar satellitesChina's experimental moon satellites Tiandu-1 and 2 are testing lunar communications and navigation tech. Recently, they shared this image of the lunar surface with a ghostly Earth in the background.
By Andrew Jones Published
the-moon -
Dying SpaceX rocket creates eerily-perfect 'dashed' line in new photos. What's going on?New images show a glowing "dashed" line in the night sky above Arizona after part of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fell back to Earth following a double-header launch.
By Harry Baker Published
space-exploration -
Controversial paper claims satellite 'megaconstellations' like SpaceX's could weaken Earth's magnetic field and cause 'atmospheric stripping.' Should we be worried?A theoretical new paper argues that atmospheric metal pollution from falling space junk could create an invisible conductive shield around our planet that might weaken our magnetosphere. However, other experts are skeptical of this idea.
By Harry Baker Published
space-exploration
