Tag: Space Junk
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Got space junk? Portal and Paladin team up to create an orbital trash disposal service
An artist’s conception shows Portal Space Systems’ Starburst spacecraft at left and its larger Supernova platform in the distance at right, both outfitted with Paladin Space’s Triton payload for orbital debris tracking and removal. (Portal Space Systems Illustration) Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems is partnering with an Australian venture called Paladin Space on a commercial service that would round…
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Starfish Space wins $52.5M contract to provide satellite disposal service for Space Development Agency
An artist’s conception shows an Otter spacecraft in proximity to another satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Starfish Space has secured a $52.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency to dispose of military satellites at the end of their operational lives. The Tukwila, Wash.-based startup says it’s the first commercial deal ever struck…
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Astroscale aced the world’s first rendezvous with a piece of space junk
There’s a scene in the film Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey’s character flies his spaceplane up to meet a mothership spinning out of control. The protagonist rises to the challenge with a polished piece of piloting and successfully links up with his objective. Real life, of course, isn’t quite this dramatic. Slow down that spin to a…
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Starfish Space brings in new funding as it gears up for orbital inspection and docking
Artwork shows the Otter spacecraft in orbit near another satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space is bringing in more funding after announcing several agreements to use its Otter spacecraft for missions ranging from inspecting dead satellites to extending the life of an operational satellite. Starfish reported that it has raised nearly $21 million…
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Starfish Space wins $15M NASA award for a SSPICY mission to visit dead satellites
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft in orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space has won a three-year, $15 million contract from NASA for a mission aimed at doing up-close inspections of defunct satellites in orbit. Such inspections, to be carried out using Starfish’s Otter spacecraft starting in 2027, could blaze a…
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A chunk of metal that tore through a Florida home definitely came from the ISS
NASA has confirmed that the object that fell into a Florida home last month was part of a battery pack released from the International Space Station. This extraordinary incident opens a new frontier in space law. NASA, the homeowner, and attorneys are navigating little-used legal codes and intergovernmental agreements to determine who should pay for…
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Trash from the International Space Station may have hit a house in Florida
A few weeks ago, something from the heavens came crashing through the roof of Alejandro Otero’s home, and NASA is on the case. In all likelihood, this nearly 2-pound object came from the International Space Station. Otero said it tore through the roof and both floors of his two-story house in Naples, Florida. Otero wasn’t…
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Starfish Space wins NASA contract to plan demonstration of orbital debris inspection
An artist’s conception shows the Otter inspection spacecraft silhouetted against Earth as it closes in on a target satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Even as Starfish Space works to get its first orbital demonstration mission back on track, the Tukwila, Wash.-based startup has won a contract from NASA to look into an even more ambitious project…
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Space junk is on the rise, and no one is in charge of cleaning it up
There’s a lot of trash on the Moon right now—including nearly 100 bags of human waste—and with countries around the globe traveling to the Moon, there’s going to be a lot more, both on the lunar surface and in Earth’s orbit. In August 2023, Russia’s Luna-25 probe crashed into the Moon’s surface, while India’s Chandrayaan-3…
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Founded by Blue Origin veterans, Starfish Space raises $7M for satellite servicing tug
As shown in this artist’s conception, Starfish Space’s Otter space tug is designed to hook up with larger objects in orbit, either for servicing or for safe disposal. (Starfish Space Illustration) Kent, Wash.-based Starfish Space says it’s raised $7 million to boost its drive to develop a space tug capable of moving objects into different…