earth orbits
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‘Too Close for Comfort’: Two Satellites Nearly Collide Above Earth
In a tense moment for space safety, two satellites—NASA’s TIMED spacecraft and the defunct Russian Cosmos 2221—came alarmingly close to smashing into each other above Earth, prompting concerns about the risks of space debris. The near miss happened Wednesday arvo as the two satellites brushed past each other some 378 miles (608 kilometers) above Earth,…
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A Satellite Solar Panel Glitch Disrupts Broadband in Alaska
A satellite in geostationary orbit ran into some trouble when the device meant to position its solar arrays towards the Sun malfunctioned, preventing it from being fully charged. As a result, the internet satellite will not be able to fulfill its primary goal of providing continuous connectivity to Alaska. The Arcturus satellite, built by California-based…
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Space Force Detects Mystery Object in Orbit Alongside Chinese Satellite
China’s Shijian-21 spacecraft, a satellite with the stated purpose of cleaning up space junk, has an orbital companion, but we’re not entirely sure what it is.