Even in space, what goes up sometimes comes back down: spent rocket stages, defunct satellites and other bits of space debris ...

Airlines have long treated thunderstorms, snow and volcanic ash as the main reasons to slow or stop flights. Now a new hazard ...

Using debris modeling and simulations, the U.S. Space Force, the branch of the military that deals with the nation’s space ...

A dead satellite can become a high-speed hazard in an orbit that is already packed with working spacecraft. That risk is why ...

Hundreds of millions of debris fragments zip around Earth at speeds exceeding 15,000 mph, posing a constant threat to astronauts and spacecraft. Thanks to prohibitive costs, no one is bothering to ...

Low Earth orbit has quietly become one of the most crowded and hazardous environments humanity has ever created, with an ...

While these megaconstellations promise to bridge the digital gap and stimulate economic growth, they also increase the risks of orbital congestion and collisions. Rising risks of collisions and ...

LEO constellations are potential customers for space junk removal. Credit: Kall Morris LAS VEGAS—Dealing with defunct satellites can cost constellation operators serious money, especially if a broken ...

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A large cloud of tiny fragments revolves around Earth following satellite explosions, rocket stage malfunctions, and anti-satellite missile testing. These fragments—some as small as grains of ...

When a piece of debris hits another object in space, it can also create more space debris, adding to the problem. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here ...