Oct 24, 2024 07:29 PM
https://www.livescience.com/space/space-...-knows-why
EXCERPT: . . . The satellite, which weighed 14,600 pounds (6,600 kilograms) and was roughly the size of a limo, was designed and manufactured by Boeing and launched into orbit in 2016. It was the second satellite to be sent to space as part of Boeing's "next generation" EpicNG platform. The first satellite, called IS-29e, also failed after spending several years in space — with a fuel leak made by a micrometeoroid strike or a solar storm being the likely cause.
These failures drastically undercut the expected lifespan of the satellites, which was previously estimated to be 15 years.
The satellite's destruction is yet another headache for Boeing, which is currently dealing with a number of issues, including the fallout from its Starliner mission that stranded two NASA astronauts in space; a fraud charge over its 737 Max plane crashes; and a strike of 300,000 workers at its plane manufacturing facility.
It also adds to the growing problem of space junk cluttering Earth's skies. Space agencies around the world try to keep tabs on more than 30,000 of the largest pieces of junk, but many more pieces of debris are too small to monitor.
Scientists have proposed multiple ways of tidying our planet's skies, such as gathering junk up in nets; collecting it with clawed robots; or firing a half–mile-long (0.8 kilometers) tether from another spacecraft to grab larger pieces... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: . . . The satellite, which weighed 14,600 pounds (6,600 kilograms) and was roughly the size of a limo, was designed and manufactured by Boeing and launched into orbit in 2016. It was the second satellite to be sent to space as part of Boeing's "next generation" EpicNG platform. The first satellite, called IS-29e, also failed after spending several years in space — with a fuel leak made by a micrometeoroid strike or a solar storm being the likely cause.
These failures drastically undercut the expected lifespan of the satellites, which was previously estimated to be 15 years.
The satellite's destruction is yet another headache for Boeing, which is currently dealing with a number of issues, including the fallout from its Starliner mission that stranded two NASA astronauts in space; a fraud charge over its 737 Max plane crashes; and a strike of 300,000 workers at its plane manufacturing facility.
It also adds to the growing problem of space junk cluttering Earth's skies. Space agencies around the world try to keep tabs on more than 30,000 of the largest pieces of junk, but many more pieces of debris are too small to monitor.
Scientists have proposed multiple ways of tidying our planet's skies, such as gathering junk up in nets; collecting it with clawed robots; or firing a half–mile-long (0.8 kilometers) tether from another spacecraft to grab larger pieces... (MORE - details)