SpaceX
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What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on EarthOpinion Thousands of satellites with incredibly short lifetimes are being sent up into low Earth orbit. When they fall back down they're fireballs of pollution — and what doesn't burn up hits the ground.
By Samantha Lawler Published
4 CommentsOpinion -
'No radio astronomy from the ground would be possible anymore': Satellite mega-swarms are blinding us to the cosmos — and a critical 'inflection point' is approachingInvisible radiation leaking out of private satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft, is disrupting radio astronomers' ability to detect important signals from across the universe. If left unchecked, we could reach an "inflection point" beyond which we can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.
By Harry Baker Published
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How many satellites could fit in Earth orbit? And how many do we really need?The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause?
By Harry Baker Published
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How many satellites orbit Earth?The number of satellites orbiting our planet is rising fast, thanks to private "megaconstellations" that pose various threats to space exploration and astronomy. But how big has the problem already become?
By Harry Baker Last updated
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NASA signs new contract to use SpaceX's Starship — even though it keeps blowing upSpaceX's Starship has been awarded a NASA contract that will allow it to be considered for future missions. However, recent explosive tests have shown the supersized spacecraft is still far from mission-ready.
By Harry Baker Published
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NASA's SPHEREx telescope 'opens its eyes on the universe', taking stunning debut image of 100,000 galaxies and starsSPHEREx's first images — containing roughly 100,000 points of light stars, galaxies and nebulae — have confirmed that the telescope is working according to its design.
By Ben Turner Published
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'A notch above a gimmick': Experts question scientific merit of billionaire's Fram2 'space adventure' around Earth's polesThe recently launched Fram2 mission, which is funded and led by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang, will attempt to grow mushrooms, test out hormone diapers and X-ray civilian astronauts. However, experts say that these novel experiments are unlikely to yield meaningful results.
By Harry Baker Published
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'Welcome home!': NASA astronauts who spent 9 months in orbit finally back on EarthAfter nine months in space, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have splash-landed off the coast of Florida.
By Ben Turner Published
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When will the 'stranded' NASA astronauts return to Earth?After spending more than nine months in space, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally coming home. NASA is targeting a Tuesday evening (March 18) splashdown for the returning astronauts, if weather conditions remain favorable.
By Ben Turner Published
2 Comments
