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The International Space Station (ISS) was repositioned on Tuesday, November 19, to move it well out of the way of approaching space debris, NASA reported. Station operators fired the thrusters on the docked Progress 89 spacecraft for just over five minutes to raise the orbit of the ISS in a maneuver that provided an extra…

October saw a slight increase in collision alerts from September. Fewer large objects re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere in October compared to September and we expect this trend to continue as planned re-entry campaigns dwindle. All NSpOC warning and protection services functioned as expected throughout the period. Uncontrolled Re-Entry Early Warning This month has seen a…

What if we shot all our garbage into space? The idea sounds simple, even ingenious, but behind the fantasy are staggering costs, environmental risks, and safety concerns. Could this be the solution we’re looking for, or just another cosmic misstep? The Earth generates more than two billion tons of waste each year, and only a small fraction…

As we enter the next era of space exploration, the focus is shifting from launching missions to constructing advanced in-space infrastructure, with one major obstacle standing in the way: the growing threat of space debris. The billion-dollar question of who bears the cost of space debris cleanup has been a longstanding issue, directly tied to…

A Chinese spacecraft that burned up high over Los Angeles created a sonic trail detected by ground-based sensors. On 2 April, a shower of fireballs lit up the night sky over Los Angeles and much of central and Southern California. Onlookers wondered whether they were witnessing a meteor, a failed rocket launch, or even…