#spacedebris — Public Fediverse posts

46,590 tracked objects, another 1.2 million we can’t see: The mess humans have created in space

A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the Moon on August 5 after drifting through…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Science #Falcon9rocket #Moon #spacedebris #spacejunk #spaceX #spacexrocketmooncollision
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/838123/

46,590 tracked objects, another 1.2 million we can’t see: The mess humans have created in space

A piece of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slammed into the Moon on August 5 after drifting through…
#NewsBeep #News #US #USA #UnitedStates #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #Science #Falcon9rocket #Moon #spacedebris #spacejunk #spaceX #spacexrocketmooncollision
https://www.newsbeep.com/us/838123/

🇨🇳 At a perigee of about 396 kilometers and an apogee of 482, the leftover pieces should reenter the atmosphere within a few years.

The breakups are becoming a pattern for the #LongMarch6 family. A 6A stage from 2022 left 533 catalogued fragments, and a 2024 event produced more than 700 pieces.

#China wrote stage-disposal rules in 2023 that call for deorbiting and passivation of spent hardware, yet the failures keep coming https://spacesecuritynews.com/leolabs-spots-a-chinese-rocket-stage-breaking-up-days-after-launch/

#SpaceDebris

🇨🇳 At a perigee of about 396 kilometers and an apogee of 482, the leftover pieces should reenter the atmosphere within a few years.

The breakups are becoming a pattern for the #LongMarch6 family. A 6A stage from 2022 left 533 catalogued fragments, and a 2024 event produced more than 700 pieces.

#China wrote stage-disposal rules in 2023 that call for deorbiting and passivation of spent hardware, yet the failures keep coming https://spacesecuritynews.com/leolabs-spots-a-chinese-rocket-stage-breaking-up-days-after-launch/

#SpaceDebris

🇨🇳 At a perigee of about 396 kilometers and an apogee of 482, the leftover pieces should reenter the atmosphere within a few years.

The breakups are becoming a pattern for the #LongMarch6 family. A 6A stage from 2022 left 533 catalogued fragments, and a 2024 event produced more than 700 pieces.

#China wrote stage-disposal rules in 2023 that call for deorbiting and passivation of spent hardware, yet the failures keep coming https://spacesecuritynews.com/leolabs-spots-a-chinese-rocket-stage-breaking-up-days-after-launch/

#SpaceDebris

🇨🇳 At a perigee of about 396 kilometers and an apogee of 482, the leftover pieces should reenter the atmosphere within a few years.

The breakups are becoming a pattern for the #LongMarch6 family. A 6A stage from 2022 left 533 catalogued fragments, and a 2024 event produced more than 700 pieces.

#China wrote stage-disposal rules in 2023 that call for deorbiting and passivation of spent hardware, yet the failures keep coming https://spacesecuritynews.com/leolabs-spots-a-chinese-rocket-stage-breaking-up-days-after-launch/

#SpaceDebris

🇨🇳 At a perigee of about 396 kilometers and an apogee of 482, the leftover pieces should reenter the atmosphere within a few years.

The breakups are becoming a pattern for the #LongMarch6 family. A 6A stage from 2022 left 533 catalogued fragments, and a 2024 event produced more than 700 pieces.

#China wrote stage-disposal rules in 2023 that call for deorbiting and passivation of spent hardware, yet the failures keep coming https://spacesecuritynews.com/leolabs-spots-a-chinese-rocket-stage-breaking-up-days-after-launch/

#SpaceDebris

Chinese reconnaissance satellite breaks up in rare retrograde orbit

HELSINKI — A Chinese satellite launched into an unusual orbit early this year has suffered an apparent fragmentation…
#NewsBeep #News #Space #China #debris #LongMarch6A #Science #SN #spacedebris #UK #UnitedKingdom #Yaogansatellites
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/760352/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/672746/ Chinese reconnaissance satellite breaks up in rare retrograde orbit #China #debris #Éire #IE #Ireland #LongMarch6A #Science #SN #Space #SpaceDebris #YaoganSatellites

2025 the #US #SpaceForce issued alerts for ~820 objects entering the Earth’s atmosphere, compared to 110 a decade ago. Huge objects weighing a metric #tonne or more arrive about once a week.

> 300 rockets launched last year, ~four times as many 📈 as a decade ago. Companies should be compelled to use materials that will fully disintegrate. No such #SpaceRegulation exists.

A one-minute error in predicting re-entry changes the landing zone by around 500km 📏 https://www.irishtimes.com/world/2026/08/04/watch-the-skies-what-are-the-chances-of-being-hit-by-a-piece-of-space-junk

#SpaceDebris

"For now, people are more likely to be struck by lightning than by falling space junk. But those odds are shifting. Sean O’Keefe, a former NASA administrator, ... and other experts say that governments and companies should be compelled to use materials that will fully disintegrate. No such regulation exists."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/world/asia/space-debris-falling-crashing-earth-risk.html

#Space #SpaceDebris #SpacePolicy #SpaceLaw #SpaceSustainability

#Starship executed a landing flip, landing burn, and soft splashdown, coming to rest intact in the Indian Ocean 🌊 and providing critical views of an #intact heatshield for the first time https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-13

If you believe you have identified a piece of debris, please contact the #SpaceX #Debris Hotline at 📞 1-866-623-0234 or at ✉️ [email protected] https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-7

#SpaceDebris #PressOffice #FreedomOfInformation

According to the #ESA, 14.5 million kilograms of man-made stuff circles the planet today. Compare that to 11 million kg two years ago and 8.9 million kg in 2020—a 63 percent increase 📈 over the past five years. “ #CollisionAvoidance is a standard practice now for every operator,” says Tim Flohrer, head of the ESA’s #SpaceDebris Office. This November, in Vienna, the #UNOOSA will be hosting a #SpaceLaw conference to tackle space debris removal https://spectrum.ieee.org/kessler-syndrome-space-debris

#SpaceRegulation

Analyst on #China’s spent rocket stages: “Things only continue to get worse”

Spent upper stages are the most dangerous kind of #SpaceDebris.

Eric Berger – May 26, 2026

"Further growth is anticipated from both the company’s state-owned enterprises as well as a rapidly expanding number of private launch companies. There is nothing wrong with this, as China’s rapid growth in launch has been mirrored by the United States and, in particular, SpaceX.

"However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets. These are the parts of the vehicle that separate from the first stage of a rocket and push a satellite or spacecraft into orbit."

[...]

" 'China… continues to abandon many rocket bodies in high low-Earth orbit,' Shell wrote on LinkedIn early Monday. 'The total mass of orbital debris is a key variable influencing the long-term sustainment of space. There is broad agreement that abandoning rocket body upper stages in long-lived orbits is not a best practice. In fact, all the major space-faring nations have acknowledged this.' ”

Read more:
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/analyst-on-chinas-spent-rocket-stages-things-only-continue-to-get-worse/

#SpaceJunk #KesslerSyndrome #KesslerEffect #Megaconstellations #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #SpaceX #LowEarthOrbit

More reasons to say "No!" to #SpaceX and #Starlink (and other unnecessary satellites!).

SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Georgina Rannard, Science reporter, February 19, 2025

Excerpts: "When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our #atmosphere.

"Now scientists are directly linking the uncontrolled rocket re-entry to a plume of #lithium measured less than 100km above Earth.

"It is the first time researchers have drawn a direct link between a known piece of #SpaceDebris crashing to Earth and #pollution levels.

They warn that as SpaceX chief #ElonMusk pledges to launch one million satellites in the coming years, this #contamination could be the tip of the iceberg."

[...]

"Earlier research has suggested that 10% of aerosols in the atmosphere are already contaminated by space debris.

"SpaceX has not responded to emailed requests from BBC News for comment. The researchers also sent their findings to the company but did not receive a response.

"Almost 30,000 pieces of debris are calculated to be free-floating in space, created when rockets break up in space or satellites disintegrate.

"Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.

"Musk's SpaceX is the world's leading company for rocket launches including for sending humans into space and maintaining a network of 10,000 Starlink internet satellites.

"Musk recently announced he has applied to launch one million satellites to support #ArtificialIntelligence (#AI) data centres in space.

"Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd8z4eqlxno

#LithiumPollution #AtmosphericPollution #NoAIInSpace #NoDatacentersInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect #SpaceJunk #DarkSkies #LowerEarthOrbit #LEO #AIBullshitMachines #TechBros #xAI #Technopoly #SpacePollution
#AISucks #DataCenters #SkyNet #KesslerSyndrome #USPol #WorldPol #SpaceNews

#SpaceX gets #FCC approval to launch 7,500 more #Starlink #satellites😱

by Anthony Ha
Sat, January 10, 2026

Excerpt: "The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday that it has given SpaceX approval to launch another 7,500 of its second-generation Starlink satellites, for a total of 15,000 satellites worldwide.

"Beyond simply allowing SpaceX to launch more satellites and expand its high-speed internet coverage, the FCC says its decision also means Starlink satellites can operate across five frequencies to provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States, along with supplemental coverage in the U.S.

"Reuters reports that SpaceX had requested approval for an additional 15,000 satellites, but the FCC said it would 'defer authorization of the remaining 14,988 proposed Gen2 Starlink satellites.'

"SpaceX must launch 50% of the approved Starlink satellites by December 1, 2028, and the remaining 50% by December 2031, the FCC says."

Read more:
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/spacex-gets-fcc-approval-launch-221121996.html

#KesslerSyndrome #SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
#DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution

This will guarantee #KesslerSyndrome sooner than later!😱

As #SpaceX Works Toward 50K #Starlink Satellites, #China Eyes Deploying 200K

China's Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological Innovation submits filings for two constellations, each of which could support 96,714 satellites, for a total of 193,428.

Michael Kan, January 12, 2026

Excerpt: "To counter China, the FCC has been expediting and streamlining its satellite approvals. This includes clearing SpaceX to operate another 7,500 satellites for its second-generation constellation. The regulator has also approved plans to operate Starlink satellites at lower orbits, from 340km to 485km. Currently, Starlink has over 9,400 orbiting satellites."

Read more:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/as-spacex-works-toward-50k-starlink-satellites-china-eyes-deploying-200k?test_uuid=04IpBmWGZleS0I0J3epvMrC&test_variant=B

#SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
#DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution

#Starlink satellites lift off on #SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral (video)

By Robert Z. Pearlman, Wednesday (Jan. 14).

Excerpt: "SpaceX added 29 more Starlink satellites to its low Earth orbit #megaconstellation today (Jan. 14).

"A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the broadband internet relay units launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Wednesday. The rocket reached its preliminary orbit about nine minutes after the 1:08 p.m. EST (1808 GMT) liftoff."

Read more / watch video:
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-6-98-1085-ccsfs-asog

#LEO #KesslerSyndrome #KesslerEffect #SpaceJunk #SpaceDebris #Satellites #LowEarthOrbit

#ESA & #UNOOSA #SpaceDebris infographics : 26,67 % 📊 #intentional breakup events. Red objects are not yet registered with the #UN, and are expected to rise 📈 https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/ESA_UNOOSA_space_debris_infographics_and_podcast

Around 100 nations are involved in varying levels of #space activity. Since the 1950s, almost 20,000 #satellites 🛰️ have been launched into Earth’s orbit. These satellites bring immense benefits to #society, from monitoring ecosystems and supporting global #communications, to facilitating services such as satellite #television and contactless bank card payments. However,...https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/a-sustainable-development-goal-for-space

#SpaceDebris #SpaceRegulation #UnitedNations #UNOOSA

They finally uploaded them.

[PDF] https://www.unoosa.org/res/oosadoc/data/documents/2024/aac_105/aac_1051325_0_html/AC105_1325E.pdf

#SpaceDebris #SpaceX #UNOOSA #Axiom3 #Saskatchewan

Don't know why UNOOSA folks aren't uploading the documents related to SpaceX debris found in Canada on their website. Notification was filed in 30 May..

https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/oosadoc/data/documents/2024/aac.105/aac.1051325_0.html

Earlier they had links to documents but they were broken when I mailed them they removed them altogether.

#SpaceDebris #SpaceX #UNOOSA

Most Americans support NASA – but don’t think it should prioritize sending people to space

#AntiSatelliteWeapons #Apollo #ApolloProgram #Artemis #Asteroids #Astronauts #BlueOrigin #Canada #China #Constellations #Defense #Earth #Europe #Government #GPS #HumanSpaceflight #Japan #Launch #Militarization #Military #Moon #NASA #PlanetaryDefense #Radar #Research #Rockets #Russia #SatelliteTechnology #Satellites #Science #SpaceDebris #SpaceExploration #SpaceIndustry #SpaceShuttle #SpaceStation #Spacecraft #Spaceflight #SpaceX #Technology #UnitedNations #UnitedStates #VirginGalactic #IndustryReportsPapersAndEBooks #PolicyLawAndRegulation #SocioEconomic #SpaceEconomy

https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/03/21/most-americans-support-nasa-but-dont-think-it-should-prioritize-sending-people-to-space/

The Imperative of Space Sustainability: Safeguarding Our Extra-Terrestrial Environment

#ActiveDebrisRemoval #Constellations #Earth #KesslerSyndrome #Life #Navigation #Propulsion #SatelliteTechnology #Satellites #SpaceDebris #SpaceSituationalAwareness #SpaceSustainability #Spacecraft #Technology #UnitedNations #PolicyLawAndRegulation #SocioEconomic #SpaceEconomy #SpaceSustainability

https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/03/19/the-imperative-of-space-sustainability-safeguarding-our-extra-terrestrial-environment/

Management of Consumable Resources on the International Space Station (ISS)

#Agriculture #Astronauts #AttitudeControl #CargoSpacecraft #DeepSpace #Energy #ESA #Financial #InternationalSpaceStation #ISS #JAXA #Launch #Mars #Microgravity #NASA #NorthropGrumman #Research #Roscosmos #SpaceAgencies #SpaceDebris #SpaceExploration #SpaceLogistics #SpaceStation #Spacecraft #SpaceX #Sun #Technology #EditorSPicks #PolicyLawAndRegulation #SpaceEconomy #SpaceLogistics #SpaceSegment #SpaceSustainability #Upstream

https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/02/01/management-of-consumable-resources-on-the-international-space-station-iss/

A global system of #SpaceTraffic management was defined by the International Academy of #Astronautics in its 📆 2006 study as a "set of technical and regulatory provisions for promoting safe access into outer space, operations in #OuterSpace, and return from outer space to #Earth free from physical or radiofrequency interference."

There remains a spectrum of views internationally regarding the feasibility and advisability of an actual international #SpaceTraffic management organization (#ISTMO) https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RBA1949-1.html

#SpaceDebris

#UNOOSA and #ESA #SpaceDebris infographics https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/informationfor/media/unoosa-and-esa-release-infographics-and-podcasts-about-space-debris.html

The keyword hashtag list reached 5️⃣5️⃣ 55 entries :

#AsteroidMining
#AsteroidThreat
#CelestialBodyLanding
#DSOC (Deep Space Optical Communications)
#HallEffectThruster
#HumanSpaceflight
#HumanSpaceflightBasics
#HumanSpaceflightHealth
#HumanSpaceflightSecurity
#ISRU (in situ resource utilization)
#LaunchCost
#Lunar3dPrinting
#MoonMining
#PrivateSpaceflight
#ReusableLaunchVehicle
#RocketEngine
#RocketScience
#SatelliteImprovement
#SatelliteInternetAccess
#SBSP (Space-based Solar Power)
#SmallSat
#SpaceAgency
#SpaceCommunication
#SpaceCompany
#SpaceCraft
#SpaceColonization
#SpacecraftComparison
#SpacecraftPropulsion
#SpaceDebris
#SpaceEnergy
#SpaceEvent
#SpaceFood
#SpaceForce
#SpaceHabitat
#SpaceHotel
#SpaceIndustry
#SpaceInfrastructure
#SpaceLogistics
#SpaceMaintenance
#SpaceMining
#SpaceNavigation
#SpacePhotography
#SpacePlants
#SpacePolitics
#SpacePort
#SpaceRegulation
#SpaceRobot
#SpaceScience
#SpaceSciFi
#SpaceStation
#SpaceSuit
#SpaceTelescope
#SpaceTourism
#SpaceWelding
#TimeToOrbit

#SpaceTraffic Management (#STM) : #debris 🗑️ #removal systems must be created to collect and #deorbit debris, prioritizing those large objects that present the highest #risk to #spacecraft.
Through fora like the #UNOOSA , the #international community should reach #consensus on the definitions of #STM, #SSA, and related terms https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/space-traffic-management-time-for-action

#UnitedNations Office for #OuterSpace Affairs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs

Picture : #Space #debris impact on #SpaceShuttle window https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Space_debris_impact_on_Space_Shuttle_window.jpg

#SpaceDebris #SpaceRegulation

Getting Rid of All the Space Junk in Earth’s Backyard - Space, as the name suggests, is mostly empty. However, since the first satellite launch in 1957, man... - https://hackaday.com/2020/10/15/getting-rid-of-all-the-space-junk-in-earths-backyard/ #geosynchronousorbit #lowearthorbit #laserranging #originalart #spacedebris #spacejunk #featured #science #space