Space junk is perhaps a silly-sounding name, and while it's not new, the rise of private aerospace firms has exacerbated this very real and serious problem. Also called "space debris," human-made detritus floating in space began accumulating with the ...

New research examines how smaller satellites in lower orbits could reduce collision risks and debris generation while maintaining high-resolution Earth observation capabilities.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud services has led to a massive demand for computing power. The surge has strained data infrastructure, which requires lots of electricity to operate. A single, medium-sized data center here on Earth ...

China's Shenzhou-20 spacecraft took a hit from a piece of space debris floating through orbit, causing Chinese officials to delay the spacecraft's return from its Tiangong space station in early November. In addition to stranding the three Chinese ...

Since 1971, space agencies have crashed retired spacecraft at Point Nemo, raising concerns about ocean debris and the ISS retirement.

Look up on a clear night and you'll see the streaks of our new space age. What you don't see is the growing fallout for the atmosphere that keeps us alive.

M odern life provides enough for us to worry about without having to add space junk to that list. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more of a concern, certainly to our civilization's use of space, and with a creeping risk that one day soon, a piece of space junk will hit someone and harm them.