Ars Technica
• Scott K. Johnson
SpaceX’s proposed orbital data centers would place large-scale computing hardware in space, creating a new end-of-life challenge for electronic equipment beyond Earth. The concept resembles asteroid mining in reverse: instead of extracting material from orbit, operators could leave behind increasingly difficult-to-manage e-waste.
Space Debris & Traffic Management
Latest source-backed stories
SpaceX’s proposed orbital data centers would place large-scale computing hardware in space, creating a new end-of-life challenge for electronic equipment beyond Earth. The concept resembles asteroid mining in reverse: instead of extracting material from orbit, operators could leave behind increasingly difficult-to-manage e-waste.
High activity
NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental mission to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the recently launched servicing spacecraft suffered irredeemable technical problems in orbit. Without the rescue, Swift is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere later this year, ending an effort to extend its operational life.
A U.S. Air Force aircraft turned around over the South Pacific on Aug. 18 after encountering a possible space-debris hazard. The unexplained incident highlights the operational risks that falling or reentering debris can pose to aircraft operating beneath increasingly congested orbital environments.
High activity
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured the clearest views so far of a new lunar crater created when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon at roughly 8,700 km/h after drifting in space for 19 months. The images document the unexpected impact and its comparatively small crater.
The Defense Department is expanding research intended to remove obsolete satellites from orbit, while acknowledging that the same capabilities could disable, reposition or destroy functioning spacecraft. The effort highlights the close technical relationship between space sustainability missions and counterspace applications.
Slingshot Aerospace is adding AI-powered space traffic monitoring capabilities to its Portal platform, aimed at helping satellite and other space operators better monitor an increasingly crowded orbital environment. The announcement expands Portal’s role in tracking and managing space traffic for commercial and government users.
Katalyst Space has secured a new contract from the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit as the government seeks to harness emerging technologies for deorbiting space objects. The award highlights growing defense interest in commercial capabilities that can support orbital sustainability and space-domain operations.
The Space Development Agency and Defense Innovation Unit selected three companies to develop designs for scalable satellite capabilities covering rendezvous, capture and deorbit operations. The effort points to a defense-led approach for building commercially enabled on-orbit servicing and debris-removal capacity.
Create a free account to see more recent Space Debris & Traffic Management stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
