You Searched For "types of space debris" and got 20 results
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6 mins read
The time in 1978 when a Soviet nuclear-powered satellite crashed into Canada and scattered radioactive debris everywhere
Almost 50 years ago, a nuclear-powered satellite crashed, leading to an extensive cleanup effort. I…
Chris Panella
2 mins read
Two satellites might be headed for a collision — and there's no way to stop them
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the Gravity Gradient Stabilisation Experiment (GG…
3 mins read
A piece of space debris punched a tiny hole in the International Space Station, damaging a robotic arm
Scientists monitor more than 23,000 pieces of space junk that could threaten satellites and the spa…
Aylin Woodward
2 mins read
The Chinese rocket falling to Earth uncontrolled is one of 11 similar missions scheduled over the next 2 years
The rocket was launched as part of a China's project to build its own space station by 2023. Two mo…
Marianne Guenot
2 mins read
The world can expect at least 2 repeats of the uncontrolled Chinese rocket crash, according to Europe's space agency
Upcoming missions could have a similar rain of metal debris to the one this weekend, which came dow…
Marianne Guenot
3 mins read
The Chinese rocket speeding back to Earth is so unpredictable it could land almost anywhere. One guess is around Turkmenistan late on May 8.
Estimates will "vary wildly" until the rocket is closer, says 18th Space Control Squadron, a branch…
Marianne Guenot
4 mins read
Pieces of a runaway Chinese rocket have rained down on the Indian Ocean, quelling fears it would hit people or property
The rocket had been hurtling towards Earth for a week with no one knowing when or where it would la…
Morgan McFall-Johnsen,Kelsey …
4 mins read
A magnetic spacecraft that can attract dead satellites has entered orbit - a test in a new effort to clean up space junk
Millions of bits of junk rocket around Earth faster than bullets, threatening to collide with satel…
Morgan McFall-Johnsen
2 mins read
Kepler supernova exploded 400 years ago but hasn’t slowed down — and two pieces of debris are headed towards Earth
The star known as Kepler exploded in a fiery supernova over four centuries ago, but the resulting b…
2 mins read
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope imaged a stunning supernova remnant and revealed details Hubble couldn't capture
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently observed the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,…
Grace Eliza Goodwin,Jenny McG…
3 mins read
A secret Russian satellite has broken apart in orbit, creating a cloud of debris that could last a century
Russia kept the Kosmos 2499 satellite's mission a secret, even after its bizarre maneuvers drew att…
Morgan McFall-Johnsen
3 mins read
SpaceX's new Starship rocket prototype exploded at the end of a test flight yet again, sending debris flying
SN11 is the fourth Starship prototype that hasn't launched and landed completely smoothly. SpaceX s…
Morgan McFall-Johnsen,Aylin W…
6 mins read
China's 9.4-ton space station is about to fall from the sky - and no one is sure where its debris will land
"You often hear space starts at 100 kilometers [62 miles]. That's based on where aerodynamic forces…
Dave Mosher
4 mins read
The space rock that doomed the dinosaurs was shrapnel from a comet that flew too close to the sun, a Harvard study suggests
The origin of the space rock that killed the dinosaurs has been a mystery. A new study suggests it …
Aylin Woodward
1 min read
Japan is developing wooden satellites to send into orbit by 2023 in an effort to cut down on space junk
Space junk is increasingly a concern among experts, who say it poses an environmental hazard - espe…
Isobel Asher Hamilton
4 mins read
Japan has completed its 3-billion-mile mission to collect dust from an asteroid. Photos show the prize falling into Australia like a fireball.
The world now has its first asteroid samples. A Japanese spacecraft bombed asteroid Ryugu to collec…
Morgan McFall-Johnsen
3 mins read
A Japanese spacecraft is about to send a 'treasure box' of asteroid dust plummeting to Earth. Watch the sample return live.
Hayabusa-2 is set to drop bits of asteroid rock down into the Australian outback on Saturday - the …
Morgan McFall-Johnsen
4 mins read
What Elon Musk's 42,000 Starlink satellites could do for — and to — earth
Elon Musk is hoping to send 42,000 satellites to space to bring high-speed internet to every part o…
Michelle Yan,Bob Hunt,Dave Mo…
2 mins read
Mission Shakti and anti-satellite weapons: India’s space developments you need to know about
An External Ministry Statement said, "The capability achieved through the A-SAT test provides …
4 mins read
The Chinese space station hurtling towards Earth has crashed over the South Pacific
While space debris usually burns up in Earth's atmosphere and is generally unlikely to hit a person…