"With over 34,000 large debris pieces in orbit and millions of smaller fragments, the threat of collisions and the #KesslerSyndrome looms large. International cooperation, stringent regulations, and technological solutions are proposed to address the crisis, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive global framework to ensure #SpaceSustainability for future generations."

https://intpolicydigest.org/the-platform/space-has-become-a-trash-dump-and-that-s-a-problem/

#NOAA #Satellites watch the arrival of #Spring from above, showing #Earth's terminator over the last year

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-satellites-watch-the-arrival-of-spring-above

Credit: NOAA, CIRA

Astrospace interview with Tim Flohrer, head of the European Space Agency's Space Debris Office: "What is actually making our job more difficult today compared to a few years ago, is the rapid increase of active satellites. ... The effort we have to put today in this coordination activities is enormous, and rapidly increasing. And the complexity of the process results also in increased collision risks."

https://www.astrospace.it/2025/03/26/present-and-future-of-space-debris-management-interview-with-tim-flohrer-head-of-the-esa-space-debris-office/

"#Space startup Gravitics has been awarded a $60M contract by the US Space Force to develop an 'orbital carrier' that can deploy satellites from orbit. ... While many questions remain about what exactly this carrier could be capable of — unsurprising, considering the sensitive nature of the plans — it's yet another sign that the US military is looking to beef up its presence in orbit, highlighting a brewing 'space arms race.'"

https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-force-aircraft-carrier-space

Cybersecure #satellites: EU authority emphasises supply chain security, zero trust model: "Identifying counterfeit, fraudulent, and malicious equipment, are focal points for safeguarding against potential #threats," reads #ENISA's report https://www.euractiv.com/section/tech/news/cybersecure-satellites-eu-authority-emphasises-supply-chain-security-zero-trust-model/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=dlvr.it

AST SpaceMobile has announced plans to launch FM1, a second-generation BlueBird satellite. It is about 223 square meters in size, or three times larger than first-gen BlueBirds. They will likely be the brightest artificial objects in the night sky after the ISS.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/starlink-rival-ast-spacemobile-tips-new-satellite-prototype

#US #SpaceForce warns #China's #satellites are 'dogfighting' in space
China has practiced co-ordinated satellite maneuvers in space that resemble aerial #combat, according to US Space Force
Speaking at McAleese Defense Programs Conference, the vice chief of space operations General Michael Guetlein said the US is preparing to develop capabilities for off-planet warfare. Space Force needs to guarantee "space superiority," over China, Russia, and other nations, he opined.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/20/us_space_force_warns_chinese/

The inaugural issue of the @iau_cps newsletter is up on https://cps.iau.org/news/cps-newsletter-1/. Read all about what the Centre has been up to in recent months.

Readers can subscribe to the newsletter hers: https://cps.iau.org/resources/newsletter/

"In this Note, we discuss the rationale behind the @iau_cps recommendation on satellite brightness for objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Specifically, we clarify the reasoning behind the chosen altitude dependence and the limitations of this choice. We further discuss some approaches toward brightness limits for objects beyond LEO."

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/adc12f

The Center for Space Environmentalism (CSE) has launched!

CSE is a group of scholars and experts who inform and advocate for issues pertaining to the protection of the increasingly crowded space environment. It is intended in part to counter the prevailing narrative about the 'inevitable' commercial development and exploitation of outer space. We welcome dialog and interaction with anyone interested in these topics.

I am proud to participate in this effort with my colleagues @salvabara, @planet4589, @sundogplanets and others.

Follow us on Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@space_environmentalism

And visit our website: https://www.spaceenvironmentalism.org/

A tiny satellite has enabled quantum-encrypted information to be sent between China and South Africa, the farthest distance yet achieved for quantum communication.
The team’s system is drastically smaller and cheaper that previous attempts, and they think it represents a big step towards the creation of a global network of secure, quantum communication.

Bye Starlink...

#Satellites #QuantumSatellite #China #Communications

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00845-2

yet another way in which #skum helps to destroy our planet https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-satellites-are-due-to-burn-up-in-the-atmosphere-every-year-damaging-the-ozone-layer-and-changing-the-climate-251845#Echobox=1742494507 #science #environment #satellites #starlink

There are reports that the brightness of some of the Chinese #Qianfan satellites is varying on short timescales. (e.g., https://www.satobs.org/seesat/Mar-2025/0049.html)

This behavior suggests that these satellites (and possibly others) from the second Qianfan launch are currently tumbling in orbit.

Eutelsat CEO: #EU #Satellites Can Fulfill Ukraine’s Military Communications Needs

Eva Berneke explained that Eutelsat needs fewer satellites to provide the same capacity because their orbit is located at a greater distance from the Earth.

https://mil.in.ua/en/news/eutelsat-ceo-eu-satellites-can-fulfill-ukraine-s-military-communications-needs/

Three pieces by @Nature today on dark and quiet skies.

A news feature looking at the state of solutions for satellite constellations:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00792-y

A related Editorial:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00788-8

And a Comment piece by two experts on the risk of space debris hitting the ground:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00797-7

In the next few months, from its perch atop a mountain in Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will begin surveying the #cosmos with the largest camera ever built.

Every three nights, it will produce a map of the entire southern sky filled with #stars, #galaxies, #asteroids and @supernovae — and swarms of bright #satellites ruining some of the view.

Swarms of satellites are harming #astronomy.

Here’s how researchers are fighting back.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00792-y

Earth’s Orbit Is Filling Up With Junk. Greenhouse Gases Are Making the Problem Worse.
#SpaceJunk #Satellites #ClimateChange #GreenhouseGases #OrbitalDebris #SpaceExploration #EnvironmentalImpact #Tech #Science #Aerospace #SpaceX #Earth #Orbit #SpaceJunk
https://the-14.com/earths-orbit-is-filling-up-with-junk-greenhouse-gases-are-making-the-problem-worse/

"Nick Dunn, a professor of urban design in the United Kingdom, has talked about the idea of 'nocturnal commons' as a way to envision our shared responsibility to maintain night skies as a public good. Whether DarkSky certification will be an effective way of resisting the privatisation of the celestial realm is debatable, given the gulf in power between corporate and community interests.”

https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/03/13/darksky-designation-can-mitigate-privatisation-of-celestial-sphere/