Menu

Post image 1
Post image 2
Post image 3
Post image 4
Post image 5
Post image 6
1 / 6
0

Satellites Could Start Smashing into Each Other in Less Than Three Days, Study Finds

PetaPixel·Matt Growcoot·about 1 month ago
#EQdl3Q5z
Reading 0:00
15s threshold

They fly above us unseen — some are taking photos of outer space — but the intense network of satellites that orbit Earth in perfect coordination could collapse in just a couple of days, according to a new study. Satellites in low-Earth orbit have increased exponentially in recent years , largely thanks to SpaceX’s Starlink program. In the 1970s, NASA proposed a doomsday scenario where collisions between satellites cascaded to the point that they blunt human activity in space. Known as Kessler Syndrome, it was based on multiple accidents causing a lot of debris. But new research led by Sarah Thiele at Princeton University has found that one of the biggest threats is a solar storm that could cause a cut in communications between satellites and their operators. If the resulting geomagnetic storm did cut comms, the research shows that it could take just 2.8 days before a collision.…

Continue reading — create a free account

Join HashtagPLUS to read full articles, follow hashtags, vote, and join the conversation.

Read More