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What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on Earth
By Samantha Lawler published
Opinion Thousands of satellites with incredibly short lifetimes are being sent up into low Earth orbit. When they fall back down they're fireballs of pollution — and what doesn't burn up hits the ground.

'No radio astronomy from the ground would be possible anymore': Satellite mega-swarms are blinding us to the cosmos — and a critical 'inflection point' is approaching
By Harry Baker published
Invisible radiation leaking out of private satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft, is disrupting radio astronomers' ability to detect important signals from across the universe. If left unchecked, we could reach an "inflection point" beyond which we can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.

How many satellites could fit in Earth orbit? And how many do we really need?
By Harry Baker published
The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause?

How many satellites orbit Earth?
By Harry Baker last updated
The number of satellites orbiting our planet is rising fast, thanks to private "megaconstellations" that pose various threats to space exploration and astronomy. But how big has the problem already become?

SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation 'under threat' by Russia and China
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
SpaceX's Starlink internet satellite constellation has become a prime target for Russia and China, according to a new report assessing the counterspace capabilities of a dozen countries over the past year.

Watch: SpaceX Starship explodes mid-flight for a 2nd time this year, raining fiery debris over Florida
By Ben Turner published
A photo of starship launching in the distance with massive plume of smoke.

Newest Starlink satellites are leaking even more radiation than their predecessors — and could soon disrupt astronomy
By Harry Baker published
A new study reveals that Generation 2 Starlink satellites are leaking up to 30 times more radio waves than their predecessors. If SpaceX continues to deploy the newer versions as planned, we could reach an "inflection point" where astronomers can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket grounded for 2nd time in 2 months following explosive landing failure
By Brandon Specktor published
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket for the second time in as many months following a routine landing that ended in flames on Wednesday (Aug. 28).

Chinese rocket breaks apart after megaconstellation launch, creating cloud of space junk
By Mike Wall published
On Aug. 7, a Chinese rocket broke apart in space, creating more than 300 new pieces of trackable debris.

20 satellites fall from sky after catastrophic SpaceX rocket failure, triggering investigation
By Harry Baker published
Twenty doomed Starlink satellites, which were prematurely released during a botched Falcon 9 rocket launch last week, have burned up in the upper atmosphere after falling back to Earth, new data confirms. Experts are currently investigating what went wrong.
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