SpaceX will gradually lower 4,400 Starlink satellites this year to improve space safety.
SpaceX announced it will lower approximately 4,400 Starlink satellites from 550 km to 480 km above Earth throughout 2026 to reduce the risk of collisions in low Earth orbit. The move will also shorten the satellites’ end-of-life decay time by more than 80 percent.
The decision follows a December incident in which one Starlink satellite created minor debris and briefly cut communications with another spacecraft. Michael Nicholls, SpaceX vice-president of engineering, said the adjustment will also mitigate risks from uncoordinated maneuvers and launches by other operators.
Estimates from the European Space Agency indicate over 40,000 objects orbit below 2,000 km, with more than 9,300 owned by SpaceX. Objects over 1 cm in size, over 1.2 million pose potential collision hazards.
Professor Hugh Lewis of the University of Birmingham said SpaceX carried out 144,404 collision avoidance maneuvers between December 2024 and May 2025, a 200 percent increase from the previous period.
Nicholls emphasized the satellite adjustments are part of SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to make orbital operations safer as congestion in low Earth orbit increases.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow ear...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time bein...
More than half of the Syrian city of Aleppo's ancient markets have now been rebuilt, over a decade after they were reduced to rubble during the...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has run 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds, China's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
Nvidia is teaming up with some of the biggest names in global finance in a move that underscores how artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the world's most sought-after investment themes.
Parts of Europe and the Arctic will briefly fall into darkness on Wednesday, 12 August, as the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun in a total solar eclipse.
Meta said one of its AI models hacked another company's systems during cybersecurity testing, intensifying concerns about how developers can contain increasingly capable AI systems following similar incidents involving Anthropic and OpenAI.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment