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#spacepollution — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #spacepollution, aggregated by home.social.

  1. #HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?

    Image credit: Alan Dyer

    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpacePollution

  2. #HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?

    Image credit: Alan Dyer

    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpacePollution

  3. #HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?

    Image credit: Alan Dyer

    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpacePollution

  4. #HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?

    Image credit: Alan Dyer

    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpacePollution

  5. #HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?

    Image credit: Alan Dyer

    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpacePollution

  6. Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites

    With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.

    By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025

    Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.

    "As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.

    "The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."

    e360.yale.edu/features/satelli

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #SpaceJunk #SpaceX

  7. Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites

    With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.

    By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025

    Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.

    "As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.

    "The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."

    e360.yale.edu/features/satelli

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #SpaceJunk #SpaceX

  8. Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites

    With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.

    By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025

    Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.

    "As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.

    "The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."

    e360.yale.edu/features/satelli

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #SpaceJunk #SpaceX

  9. Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites

    With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.

    By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025

    Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.

    "As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.

    "The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."

    e360.yale.edu/features/satelli

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #SpaceJunk #SpaceX

  10. Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites

    With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.

    By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025

    Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.

    "As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.

    "The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."

    e360.yale.edu/features/satelli

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #SpaceJunk #SpaceX

  11. #MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth

    By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026

    Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.

    "While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.

    "Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.

    "That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    " 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."

    Read more:
    sciencenews.org/article/rocket

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere

  12. #MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth

    By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026

    Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.

    "While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.

    "Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.

    "That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    " 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."

    Read more:
    sciencenews.org/article/rocket

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere

  13. #MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth

    By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026

    Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.

    "While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.

    "Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.

    "That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    " 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."

    Read more:
    sciencenews.org/article/rocket

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere

  14. #MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth

    By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026

    Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.

    "While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.

    "Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.

    "That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    " 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."

    Read more:
    sciencenews.org/article/rocket

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere

  15. #MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time

    Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth

    By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026

    Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.

    "While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.

    "Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.

    "That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

    " 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."

    Read more:
    sciencenews.org/article/rocket

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere

  16. China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years

    Story by Victor Tangermann
    9/12/2026

    Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.

    "However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.

    "Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.

    " 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "

    Read more:
    msn.com/en-us/news/other/china

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #Satellites #SpaceJunk

  17. China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years

    Story by Victor Tangermann
    9/12/2026

    Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.

    "However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.

    "Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.

    " 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "

    Read more:
    msn.com/en-us/news/other/china

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #Satellites #SpaceJunk

  18. China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years

    Story by Victor Tangermann
    9/12/2026

    Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.

    "However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.

    "Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.

    " 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "

    Read more:
    msn.com/en-us/news/other/china

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #Satellites #SpaceJunk

  19. China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years

    Story by Victor Tangermann
    9/12/2026

    Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.

    "However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.

    "Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.

    " 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "

    Read more:
    msn.com/en-us/news/other/china

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #Satellites #SpaceJunk

  20. China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years

    Story by Victor Tangermann
    9/12/2026

    Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.

    "However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.

    "Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.

    " 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "

    Read more:
    msn.com/en-us/news/other/china

    #SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #Satellites #SpaceJunk

  21. Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?

    #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO

    Munis Raza
    Thu, September 3, 2026

    "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.

    "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.

    "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."

    Read more:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution

  22. Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?

    #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO

    Munis Raza
    Thu, September 3, 2026

    "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.

    "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.

    "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."

    Read more:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution

  23. Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?

    #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO

    Munis Raza
    Thu, September 3, 2026

    "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.

    "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.

    "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."

    Read more:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution

  24. Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?

    #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO

    Munis Raza
    Thu, September 3, 2026

    "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.

    "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.

    "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."

    Read more:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution

  25. Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?

    #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO

    Munis Raza
    Thu, September 3, 2026

    "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.

    "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.

    "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."

    Read more:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution