New GEO Debris Cloud Poses Risk to Costly Satellites
TL;DR
Warwick researchers used a novel image‑processing approach to reanalyze data from the Isaac Newton Telescope and found 25 debris tracks in geostationary orbit (about 36,000 km up), 80% of which were previously unknown. The tiny fragments could linger indefinitely in GEO due to the near‑vacuum, creating a potentially dangerous debris cloud that threatens expensive satellites and underscores the need for debris surveys before GEO launches, with the study published in the Journal of Astronautical Sciences.
- Space junk debris cloud discovered in high-traffic orbit 'is a potential minefield' for the costliest satellites Space
- Falling spacecraft debris increasingly surviving reentry, raising safety concerns MSN
- Tiny 2-inch space debris discovered in key satellite orbit, scientists warn The News International
- Astronomers are finding space junk too small to track, and it's getting dangerous Yahoo
- Adapting Satellite Design to the Growing Space Debris Problem AZoQuantum
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Space