{"id":63003,"date":"2019-02-14T19:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T11:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/the-gravity-of-space-debris\/"},"modified":"2019-02-14T19:00:37","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T11:00:37","slug":"the-gravity-of-space-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/the-gravity-of-space-debris\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gravity of Space Debris"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s early 2019, and most of the commercial space industry is abuzz about the launch of megaconstellations into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which will deliver a powerful broadband experience to all of mankind.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Blackerby, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Astroscale, is pumped about a different kind of launch, specifically of the company\u2019s ELSA-d satellite, which is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2020, into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The satellite is designed to facilitate End of Life (EOL) services \u2014 helping to bring retired or failed satellites out of orbit and back into the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, where they will burn on reentry, leaving no further debris behind.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dDAHNAAuREqjj7OszIwO_VS_030119_Cover_DGTL-1-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dDAHNAAuREqjj7OszIwO_VS_030119_Cover_DGTL-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dDAHNAAuREqjj7OszIwO_VS_030119_Cover_DGTL-1-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dDAHNAAuREqjj7OszIwO_VS_030119_Cover_DGTL-1-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/dDAHNAAuREqjj7OszIwO_VS_030119_Cover_DGTL-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the March 2019 Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p>Astroscale, which was founded in 2013 as a space-debris removal company, has built an impressive name for itself as an environmental steward of the skies. The company raised $50 million in late 2018 through Series D funding (led by INCJ), bringing total capital raised to $102 million. This year, the company\u2019s to-do list includes seeking partnerships with commercial satellite providers that require a de-orbit plan for future satellites, as well as governments looking to remove current orbital debris. Astroscale also hopes to partner with policy makers and international organizations to develop norms and regulations that contribute to the responsible use of space. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe industry is becoming more cognizant of the fact that they need to do something to manage debris,\u201d says Blackerby, who works out of the company\u2019s Japan office (the company also has offices in Singapore and the U.K.). \u201cWe know we\u2019re addressing a growing concern because we\u2019re seeing a lot of other companies trying to get into this space. We welcome the competition because it shows we have identified a viable market.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"flex flex-col justify-center items-center w-full image-block px-8\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Placeholder alt text\" class=\"w-full object-cover mx-auto max-w-sm\" src=\"http:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/HlUYSqvRgy0sccBQYUrO_close_up_big_harpoon_airbus-1.png\"><\/figure>\n<p>The timing couldn\u2019t be more important. There have been an estimated 5,000-plus launches since the space age began in the late 1950s, which have left behind a trail of debris, especially in LEO but also Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO). These launches have put about 8,650 satellites into space, according to European Space Agency (ESA) estimates. Of these, about 4,700 are still in space, but only 1,800 are still functioning. <\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c55165b36;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c55165b36 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c55165b3e').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c55165b3e'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>With the momentum around the rollout of megaconstellations from the likes of SpaceX, OneWeb, and others, the potential for creating even more debris is real. But as an industry, we\u2019re only starting to understand downside of having too many satellites, and in some circles, there\u2019s a preference to downplay the potential for disaster. And so we\u2019re left with many unanswered questions: Are new mobile satellites being built with the right \u201cend of life\u201d technology? How likely are future collisions? And how many megaconstellations are too many? <\/p>\n<h2>The Clean-Space Crusade<\/h2>\n<p>The 2013 film \u201cGravity\u201d deserves much credit for bringing the topic of space debris into everyday conversation \u2014 though many believed the space collision-driven plot for the Hollywood blockbuster, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, was pure science fiction. Today, there\u2019s no doubt that collision of that magnitude \u2014 the catastrophic scenario known as \u201cKessler Syndrome,\u201d proposed by space scientist Donald Kessler in 1978 \u2014 is entirely possible, and the impacts are more dire than \u201chalf of North America [losing] Facebook,\u201d the hypothetical scenario Clooney\u2019s character suggests as tries to quickly redirect the space mission, before chunks of metal start flying.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s possibly scarier than this scenario is that significant, real-life response to the problem of debris didn\u2019t happen years before \u201cGravity\u201d hit the big screen. To be fair, headline-grabbing collisions were relatively few and far between, like the bullet-size piece of junk flying at high speed that knocked a crater into a European Earth Observation (EO) satellite a few years ago, or the 1,984-pound (900 Kg) non-operational Russian satellite that collided with, and destroyed, one of Iridium\u2019s communication satellites in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>Major collisions don\u2019t happen often, but many believe that they soon might.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like the environmental concerns in the 1950s,\u201d says Blackerby, describing the current debris situation. \u201cPeople would dump things in the ocean, and they would say, \u2018oh the ocean\u2019s huge, we\u2019re okay.\u2019 Now we know better.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>As a testament to the importance of keeping orbits as clutter-free as possible, multiple government agencies, including NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United Nations (UN), to name a few, have ramped up efforts to clean up space. <\/p>\n<p>In 2018, the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) reached an agreement on nine guidelines intended to reduce the risk of space collisions. The guidelines cover everything from the registration and information sharing of space objects to testing and assessments of them, for example.<\/p>\n<p>Luisa Innocenti, head of ESA\u2019s Clean Space initiative, which launched in 2012, says the ESA is also making strides in numerous ways \u2014 from embedding environmental sustainability within space design, to promoting the industry-wide adoption of greener industrial materials and aiding debris-removal missions.\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of progress with our agency, and a lot of activities around clean space \u2014not just the sexy ones of removing junk, but also improving the understanding of the environmental impact of space activities \u2026 not only in space, but also on the ground,\u201d Innocenti tells Via Satellite. \u201cIn the past we have been building our satellites to survive in space. Now we have to build our satellites to destroy themselves when they come down or to move to some graveyard orbits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Leading commercial operators are also showing they care. SpaceX, for example, in 2018 revised its FCC filing to launch 1,584 satellites at 550 kilometers opposed to the 1,110 kilometer orbit it initially proposed, to reduce its orbital footprint. <\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c5516602e;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c5516602e = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c5516602f').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c5516602f'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<h2>A Cluster of Challenges<\/h2>\n<p>But cleaning up space, and ensuring future missions stay clean, is hard, given the abundance of technological, regulatory and financial issues. <\/p>\n<p>For one, cleaning debris, or building new satellites that comply with best practices, is expensive. It\u2019s not easy to obtain public funding for missions, as ESA\u2019s Clean Space office learned in 2016 when it failed to secure funding for the e.Deorbit mission to remove Envisat, an ESA-owned satellite that performed an Earth-observation mission for 10 years but finally failed in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>For commercial satcoms, dealing with an onslaught of parameters and rules is also challenging. <\/p>\n<p>Mike Gold, Vice President, Regulatory &amp; Policy, for Maxar Technologies, parent company to SSL, says the biggest concern in the future will be finding the balance between regulation and innovation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne issue tangentially related to debris that we\u2019ve been trying to tackle is Article 6 of the International Space Treaty [of 1967], which requires nations to provide authorization and continuing supervision of their own country\u2019s space activities,\u201d says Gold. \u201cHowever, no single federal agency has been given explicit authority for the continuing supervision of commercial activities. Such supervision wasn\u2019t a big concern 20 years ago. For example, if a mission was conducted by NASA, it was supervised by NASA, but with the development of some of these new commercial activities, there is a gap that has developed where, again, no specific department or agency has authority. The problem is that insurers like predictability. So do investors. If the U.S. doesn\u2019t get it right you could see a lot of these companies go overseas for regulatory reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The Business of Snagging Space Junk<\/h2>\n<p>Even still, the business capturing debris (and preventing collisions) is becoming a more \u201ccrowded\u201d space, so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most notable efforts to date is the recent RemoveDEBRIS mission, which launched in April 2018 on a SpaceX Dragon resupply to the ISS (and then deployed in June). The mission is overseen by a consortium of space companies including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), which designed and manufactured the RemoveDEBRIS satellite platform that  hosts space debris removal payloads produced by Airbus, ArianeGroup, CSEM, Inria, Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS), Surrey Space Centre and Stellenbosch University. The mission utilizes imaging technology and other sophisticated equipment, plus a harpoon and net (produced by Airbus) to capture space debris, starting with the biggest chunks first. [For more, see SIDEBAR].<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo help clear up space it\u2019s necessary to remove the largest pieces of debris first, as these are a huge risk as they could collide with other debris and fragment into thousands of pieces,\u201d explains Alexander Hall, Mission Systems Engineer at Airbus in Stevenage. \u201cThe RemoveDEBRIS harpoon and net that can both capture junk the size of a washing machine, as well as robotic arms. These technologies are scalable so can be tailored for capturing a range of debris sizes.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"flex flex-col justify-center items-center w-full image-block px-8\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Placeholder alt text\" class=\"w-full object-cover mx-auto\" src=\"http:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/44YKWqxgTb6sWc0rgob5_e.Deorbit_gripping_the_target.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p>In Canada, Maxar Technologies\u2019 subsidiary, MDA was commissioned in 2013 by Canada\u2019s Department of National Defense (DND), to develop the Sapphire Satellite, which tracks man-made space objects in Earth\u2019s orbit between 6,000 and 40,000 km in altitude, as part of Canada\u2019s continued support of Space Situational Awareness. \u201cThe mission is going very well,\u201d says Chris Pogue, president of MDA Government. \u201cAs the space economy becomes more ingrained in our lives, the ability to monitor objects and prevent damage will help us to ensure we can effectively use space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c5516661e;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a67c5516661e = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c5516661f').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a67c5516661f'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, MDA\u2019s sibling company SSL is focused on the next generation of orbit-servicing satellites that can perform the repair of existing space structures so that they don\u2019t turn into debris. \u201cThere are a lot of technologies being developed from drag-like parachute devices to lasers to nudge you out of orbit,\u201d says Al Tadros, SSL\u2019s VP of Space Infrastructure and Civil Space. \u201cIn addition to building satellites at SSL, we\u2019re doing a lot of work on satellite servicing programs and infrastructure, which includes robotics. SSL is addressing issues like, \u2018if a satellite dies prematurely, what do you do to move it out of the way?\u2019\u201d  <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, In the United States, Lockheed Martin is currently building Space Fence, a sophisticated system that will dramatically improve the way the U.S. Air Force identifies and tracks objects in space. This will ultimately help researchers understand the space environment, down to the smallest objects, so we can make more informed decisions. <\/p>\n<h2>Preventing a Mass Collision<\/h2>\n<p>While organizations and space agencies are concerned with the balance of innovation and regulation, scientists are concerned about catastrophe. Hugh Lewis, a space debris scientist and professor of astronautics at the University of Southampton in the U.K., says what concerns him most is the uncertainty of the fallout from a massive collision: Would this remain an isolated event or would it result in other collisions, with the potential to disrupt global communications or weather forecasting? Would the ground economy suffer? How long would the disruption last?<\/p>\n<p>The University of Southampton\u2019s debris simulation model, Debris Analysis and Monitoring Architecture to the GEO Environment (DAMAGE), offers a worst-case scenario. Some of the results show signs that are eerily similar to the scene in \u2018Gravity,\u2019 in which fragments from the destruction of a defunct spacecraft were sent flying at huge speeds, knocking out one spacecraft after the next. <\/p>\n<p>But, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the predictions made by these models. \u201cThat\u2019s the fundamental problem with extreme events like the Kessler syndrome,\u201d says Lewis. \u201cBecause it\u2019s never happened in the past, we don\u2019t know how bad the impact would be if it were to happen in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While such an extreme event is improbable; it\u2019s not impossible. Therefore, international agencies need to step up their licensing procedures for megaconstellations and other new space proposals. \u201cThe FCC approved SpaceX\u2019s license application \u2026 they approved 12,000 satellites to go into LEO, seemingly on the basis of a relatively basic orbital debris assessment. In my opinion that\u2019s not comprehensive enough. What\u2019s needed is an orbital debris assessment that matches the complexity of the proposed space systems that we are starting to see from NewSpace companies.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>However, Lewis is encouraged by the fact that companies are thinking more about how to operate with the smallest environmental footprint. \u201cYou go back ten or 20 years, and the attitude was, \u2018we go forward with our space mission no matter what,\u2019\u201d says Lewis. \u201cNow companies are looking at how to operate in a clean way.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 406586:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/75YFblZZT8GolKg5QSI8_SNUInaugural3_DGTL-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/75YFblZZT8GolKg5QSI8_SNUInaugural3_DGTL-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/75YFblZZT8GolKg5QSI8_SNUInaugural3_DGTL-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/75YFblZZT8GolKg5QSI8_SNUInaugural3_DGTL-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/75YFblZZT8GolKg5QSI8_SNUInaugural3_DGTL.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tJetBlue\u2019s Stoyanova Looks to the IFC Horizon<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 406620:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1-300x300.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1-640x640.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hFk6FxfeSZmYdKBBsgtG_Opinion_Bubbles_Web-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tNSR Reviews 2019: The Year Ahead<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 406602:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/I8b54M8UQv6o6ULnd0yO_ATC_nanocopper_4Oct2016_345-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/I8b54M8UQv6o6ULnd0yO_ATC_nanocopper_4Oct2016_345-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/I8b54M8UQv6o6ULnd0yO_ATC_nanocopper_4Oct2016_345-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/I8b54M8UQv6o6ULnd0yO_ATC_nanocopper_4Oct2016_345-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/I8b54M8UQv6o6ULnd0yO_ATC_nanocopper_4Oct2016_345.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSatellite Manufacturing in a State of Transition<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 406592:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"230\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8UWxiQMgTXWT3ciDHZxc_SatServicing-300x230.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8UWxiQMgTXWT3ciDHZxc_SatServicing-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8UWxiQMgTXWT3ciDHZxc_SatServicing-800x613.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8UWxiQMgTXWT3ciDHZxc_SatServicing-640x490.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8UWxiQMgTXWT3ciDHZxc_SatServicing.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSatellite Servicing Becomes an Actual Market<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 406626:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/xSCw4LClSRu8mrTiFEd2_EdNote_Header_Web-300x167.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/xSCw4LClSRu8mrTiFEd2_EdNote_Header_Web-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/xSCw4LClSRu8mrTiFEd2_EdNote_Header_Web-800x446.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/xSCw4LClSRu8mrTiFEd2_EdNote_Header_Web-640x357.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/xSCw4LClSRu8mrTiFEd2_EdNote_Header_Web.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tSatellite Servicing: Ready to be Proved Wrong<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s early 2019, and most of the commercial space industry is abuzz about the launch of megaconstellations into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which will deliver a powerful broadband experience to all of mankind. Chris Blackerby, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Astroscale, is pumped about a different kind of launch, specifically of the company\u2019s ELSA-d satellite, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63003"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}