Debris

Satellites could have a longer life and space become a bit tidier if Starfish Space's Otter Pup 2 mission pans out. Scheduled to launch later this year, it aims to demonstrate how a small craft can dock with unprepared satellites for service or disposal.

Tiny bursts of electrical energy caused by collisions of objects no wider than a pencil lead could one day allow pieces of space debris smaller than one millimeter in diameter to be tracked, reducing the danger to spacecraft in Earth orbit.

New research has found that a gene associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease also contributes to the build-up of cellular debris in the brain. The researchers say targeting this mechanism could lead to new, more effective Parkinson’s drugs.

SpaceX has lost up to 40 satellites of its Starlink internet constellation due to a geomagnetic storm that is knocking them out of orbit. The satellites were part of a batch of 49 that were launched on February 3 and had not reached their operational altitude.

Marine debris is a huge problem, both when it's floating at sea and when it gets washed up on the shore. In order to locate the latter for removal, scientists are developing AI-enabled drones which will spot human-made beach trash from the air.

A space-debris-clearing drag sail developed by Purdue engineers called Spinnaker3 that is large enough to pull a spent rocket booster out of a 400-mile orbit to safely burn up in the Earth's atmosphere will be put to the test next month.

Private orbital debris removal company Astroscale has demonstrated its magnetic capture system that is designed to tackle the problem of space junk, with its ELSA-d servicer satellite managing to capture a simulated piece of space debris in orbit.

Debris orbiting in high Earth orbit is not being tracked closely enough, according to the results of a new survey, and could pose an unexpected threat to important satellites that provide communication, weather observation and navigation services.

A team of ESA scientists has developed a way to use lasers, special telescopes, detectors, and light filters tuned to specific wavelengths to increase contrast with the sky and accurately track space debris even in broad daylight.

Space debris is a serious problem that won’t be going away anytime soon, but researchers have put forward a novel way to keep things in check, making a case for charging satellite operators an “orbital-use fee” to reduce the risk of collisions.

DirecTV has been granted permission by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to send a damaged communications satellite in danger of exploding due to its severely damaged batteries into an emergency disposal trajectory.

ESA has commissioned the world's first mission to recover a piece of space debris in orbit. At the end of November, the Ministerial Council consortium awarded a service contract to a consortium for the ClearSpace-1 mission to launch in 2025.