Satellites
Are There Better Ways to Communicate with Mars?
Mars is a long way from Earth, making it challenging to communicate with. That difficult communication is becoming ever more…
Hubble’s Orbit Has Dropped So Far that Starlink Satellites are Photobombing its Images
Astronomy is poised for another leap. In the next several years, major ground-based telescopes will come online, including the Extremely…
A Russian Satellite Has Broken Into Pieces, Littering Debris in Space
A Russian KOSMOS 2499 satellite broke up last month -- for a second time -- according to the Space Force's…
Could Space-based Satellites Power Remote Mines?
Many space-based technologies are still looking for their "killer app" - the thing that they do better than anything else…
NOAA’s New Weather Satellite is Operational, and its Pictures of Earth are Gorgeous
You'd have to be in some kind of sense-of-wonder-repressed coma not to appreciate satellite images of Earth. If you are,…
Ground Telescopes can Adapt to Satellite Megaconstellations if They get Accurate Telemetry Data
The growing population of communication satellites such as Starlink and OneWeb is posing challenges for Earth-based astronomy facilities. Since such…
With a Small Network of Satellites Around Mars, Rovers Could Navigate Autonomously
When it comes to "on the ground" exploration of Mars, rovers make pretty good advance scouts. From Pathfinder to Perseverance,…
BlueWalker 3 is a Cellphone Tower in Space and One of the Brightest Objects Ever Launched. Astronomers Aren’t Happy.
It seems our nighttime skies are hosting another new communications network. In recent years, we've seen Starlink trains of satellites…
Air-Breathing ion Engines can Continuously Boost Spacecraft Anywhere There’s an Atmosphere
Staying in orbit can be challenging, at least for lower orbits that are more affected by Earth's atmosphere. But, such…
What Happened to those CubeSats that were Launched with Artemis I?
The Artemis I mission deployed ten CubeSat's as part of its mission, but only four appear to be operational.