Cheap satellite megaconstellations, like Starlink, could disrupt Earth's magnetosphere with metal debris, potentially leading to atmospheric stripping. [ more ]
Japan to launch world's first wooden satellite to combat space pollution
Japanese scientists created a timber satellite called LignoSat using magnolia wood for environmentally friendly space exploration.
Wooden satellites could offer a sustainable alternative to metal satellites, as wood proved to be stable and resistant to space conditions during experiments on the ISS. [ more ]
Tiny space junk may reveal itself during collisions
Ground-based radio dishes may be able to detect tiny space junk that is currently too small to track using current methods.
Researchers at the University of Michigan believe that by spotting electrical pulses created when space junk crashes into each other, they can detect debris smaller than ten centimeters in size. [ more ]
ISS space junk: Germany on alert for debris, risk minimal DW 03/08/2024
German authorities closely monitoring space junk from ISS, likely to land in ocean, poses unlikely risk to Germany.
Debris weighs 2.6 tons, expected to burn up upon entering Earth's atmosphere, might impact North America, especially Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. [ more ]