Space and Tech

Space Force Faces New Challenge: Tracking Debris from Intelsat 33e Breakdown

The fragmentation of the Intelsat 33e satellite raises concerns about space debris and safety, emphasizing the need for responsible space management and collaborative efforts to maintain a sustainable orbital environment. Space Force to monitor.

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Hal Machina

Space Force — Blue planet Earth. Spacecraft launch into space. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

In a notable development for the satellite industry, the recent fragmentation of the Intelsat 33e communication satellite has sparked significant concerns over space debris management. As this satellite, a vital link for communication services in Europe, Africa, and sections of the Asia-Pacific, met an untimely demise, the implications for space safety and sustainability have become increasingly urgent.

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https://www.capcut.com/capcut_pc_web/fission_receive?code=9HSxI820556066&lng=en?code=9HSxI820556066&lng=en ♬ original sound – STMDailyNews

The Incident

Intelsat 33e suffered a crippling power loss due to an anomaly, rendering it inactive in its geostationary orbit. Efforts made by Intelsat, in collaboration with Boeing, the satellite’s manufacturer, have been futile, making the satellite irrecoverable. As a direct consequence, the U.S. Space Force is now tasked with managing and tracking 20 newly formed debris pieces—an endeavor crucial to preventing further orbital hazards.

The cause of Intelsat 33e’s failure is yet to be confirmed, but speculation suggests a propulsion system malfunction. This incident echoes a similar fate that befell Intelsat-29e in 2019, attributed to either a meteoroid strike or possible wiring issues. Such events highlight the unpredictable nature of space operations and the resultant challenges.

Risks and Implications

Geostationary orbit, where these incidents occurred, is particularly sensitive. With satellites positioned to maintain a fixed point relative to the Earth, any increase in debris could severely limit maneuverability and heighten collision risks. Each new debris field exacerbates the congestion in these critical orbital paths, increasing the threat to operational satellites and, by extension, to the services they provide to millions globally.

Moving Forward

In light of these challenges, the space community is called upon to fortify its commitment to space sustainability. Satellite operators must adopt strategies that prioritize the careful deployment and maintenance of satellites to avoid contributing to the burgeoning space debris problem. This incident underscores the fragility of space infrastructure and the necessity for methodical, responsible practices.

Maintaining space situational awareness is essential. Vigilant tracking and management of debris can mitigate collision risks, ensuring the safety and functionality of existing and future missions. Such measures not only protect the substantial investments in space infrastructure but also guarantee the continuity of vital services reliant on satellite communication.

Collaborative Efforts for a Sustainable Space Environment

Addressing the challenges posed by space debris requires a collective effort. Satellite operators, governments, and international organizations must collaborate to develop and implement solutions that enhance the resilience and sustainability of space operations. By sharing data, adopting standardized practices, and investing in technologies for debris monitoring and removal, stakeholders can work towards a safer, more sustainable orbital environment.

The breakup of Intelsat 33e serves as a stark reminder of the complexities within space exploration and the need for proactive measures. Only through collective vigilance and innovation can we hope to protect the orbital space environment, ensuring that it remains a viable domain for technological advancement and discovery for generations to come.

Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/satellite-orbiting-earth-broken-intelsat-lost-1972438

Space News: https://spacenews.com/intelsat-33e-loses-power-in-geostationary-orbit/

The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/

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Iowa Students to Connect with NASA Astronaut Aboard Space Station

Published

3 days ago

October 19, 2024

Daily News Staff

Students Speak With NASA Astronaut

Students from Iowa will have the opportunity to hear NASA astronaut Nick Hague answer their prerecorded questions while he’s serving an expedition aboard the International Space Station on Monday, Oct. 21.

Watch the 20-minute space-to-Earth call at 11:40 a.m. EDT on NASA+. Students from Iowa State University in Ames, First Robotics Clubs, World Food Prize Global Youth Institute, and Plant the Moon teams will focus on food production in space. Learn how to watch NASA content on various platforms, including social media.

Media interested in covering the event must contact Angie Hunt by 5 p.m., Friday, Oct.18 at amhunt@iastate.edu or 515-294-8986.

For more than 23 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.

Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.

See videos and lesson plans highlighting space station research at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Source: NASA

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Space and Tech

Record Number of Artemis Accords Signatories Gather at International Astronautical Congress

Published

4 days ago

October 18, 2024

Charles Elliot

In a significant step towards collaborative space exploration, a record number of signatories of the Artemis Accords convened at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan this week. The gathering, which included representatives from 42 of the 45 signatory nations, marked an unprecedented level of engagement aimed at fostering the safe and responsible use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity.

During a high-level meeting on October 14, top leaders from space agencies and government representatives discussed the implementation of the Artemis Accords, which serve as a framework for international cooperation as humanity ventures further into the solar system. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating, “As we send humans further into the solar system, collaboration and shared responsibility among nations are more critical than ever.” The Accords provide essential principles to guide partnerships in space exploration, creating an environment of trust that allows all nations to contribute to and benefit from these endeavors.

The meeting was co-chaired by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Italian Space Agency. Leaders focused on promoting the participation of emerging space nations, discussing key topics such as non-interference, interoperability, and the release of scientific data. Recommendations were made to enhance the implementation of the Accords, ensuring that all nations, regardless of their space capabilities, can engage actively in future exploration efforts.

Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency, highlighted the strategic importance of involving emerging space nations, stating, “This is a matter of strategic importance in order to ensure the active and meaningful engagement of emerging space nations.” The discussions in Milan built on previous workshops, including one held in Montreal in May 2024, where participants explored similar topics.

Artemis Accords

The Artemis Accords, which first launched in 2020 with eight founding nations, are rooted in the principles of the Outer Space Treaty and aim to promote the beneficial use of space. Recent progress includes establishing an initial set of mission data parameters to enhance transparency and non-interference during lunar missions, with several agencies submitting relevant data to the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs for dissemination.

Looking ahead, signatories aim to focus on sustainability issues, including debris management in lunar orbit and on the Moon’s surface. The ongoing commitment to the Artemis Accords reinforces the global effort to ensure safe and sustainable exploration of space for generations to come.

For more information on the Artemis Accords, visit NASA’s official page.

read the press release: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-artemis-accords-signatories-progress-on-sustainable-exploration/

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Jupiter’s moons hide giant subsurface oceans − Europa Clipper is one of 2 missions on their way to see if these moons could support life

NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE missions aim to explore Jupiter’s icy moons, focusing on the potential habitability of their underground oceans, particularly Europa’s, by gathering vital scientific data.

Published

1 week ago

October 15, 2024

The Conversation

The surface of Europa – one of Jupiter’s moons – is a thick layer of solid ice. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute, CC BY-SA

Mike Sori, Purdue University

On Oct. 14, 2024, NASA launched a robotic spacecraft named Europa Clipper to Jupiter’s moons. Clipper will reach the ice-covered Jovian moon Europa in 2030 and spend several years collecting and sending valuable data on the moon’s potential habitability back to Earth.

Clipper isn’t the only mission highlighting researchers’ interest in Jupiter and its moons.

On April 13, 2023, the European Space Agency launched a rocket carrying a spacecraft destined for Jupiter. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – or JUICE – will spend at least three years on Jupiter’s moons after it arrives in 2031.

I’m a planetary scientist who studies the structure and evolution of solid planets and moons in the solar system.

There are many reasons my colleagues and I are looking forward to getting the data that Europa Clipper and JUICE will hopefully be sending back to Earth in the 2030s. But perhaps the most exciting information will have to do with water. Three of Jupiter’s moons – Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are home to large, underground oceans of liquid water that could support life.

Four moons next to a large red spot on the surface of Jupiter. — This composite image shows, from top to bottom, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto next to Jupiter. NASA, CC BY-ND

Meet Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto

Jupiter has dozens of moons. Four of them in particular are of interest to planetary scientists.

Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are, like Earth’s Moon, relatively large, spherical complex worlds. Two previous NASA missions have sent spacecraft to orbit the Jupiter system and collected data on these moons. The Galileo mission orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003 and led to geological discoveries on all four large moons. The Juno mission is still orbiting Jupiter today and has provided scientists with an unprecedented view into Jupiter’s composition, structure and space environment.

These missions and other observations revealed that Io, the closest of the four to its host planet, is abuzz with geological activity, including lava lakes, volcanic eruptions and tectonically formed mountains. But it is not home to large amounts of water.

Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, in contrast, have icy landscapes. Europa’s surface is a frozen wonderland with a young but complex history, possibly including icy analogs of plate tectonics and volcanoes. Ganymede, the largest moon in the entire solar system, is bigger than Mercury and has its own magnetic field generated internally from a liquid metal core. Callisto appears somewhat inert compared to the others, but serves as a valuable time capsule of an ancient past that is no longer accessible on the youthful surfaces of Europa and Io.

Most exciting of all: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto all almost certainly possess underground oceans of liquid water.

A diagram showing a cutaway of Europa. — Warmth from Europa’s interior and tidal energy from Jupiter likely maintain a massive liquid ocean beneath the moon’s icy surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Michael Carroll

Ocean worlds

Europa, Ganymede and Callisto have chilly surfaces that are hundreds of degrees below zero. At these temperatures, ice behaves like solid rock.

But just like Earth, the deeper underground you go on these moons, the hotter it gets. Go down far enough and you eventually reach the temperature where ice melts into water. Exactly how far down this transition occurs on each of the moons is a subject of debate that scientists hope to resolve with JUICE and Europa Clipper. While the exact depths are still uncertain, scientists are confident that these oceans exist.

The best evidence of these oceans comes from Jupiter’s magnetic field. Saltwater is electrically conductive. So as these moons travel through Jupiter’s magnetic field, they generate a secondary, smaller magnetic field that signals to researchers the presence of an underground ocean. Using this technique, planetary scientists have been able to show that the three moons contain underground oceans. And these oceans are not small – Europa’s ocean alone might have more than double the water of all of Earth’s oceans combined.

An obvious and tantalizing next question is whether these oceans can support extraterrestrial life. Liquid water is an important piece of what makes for a habitable world, but far from the only requirement for life. Life also needs energy and certain chemical compounds in addition to water to flourish. Because these oceans are hidden beneath miles of solid ice, sunlight and photosynthesis are out. But it’s possible other sources could provide the needed ingredients.

On Europa, for example, the liquid water ocean overlays a rocky interior. That rocky seafloor could provide energy and chemicals through underwater volcanoes that could make Europa’s ocean habitable. But it is also possible that Europa’s ocean is a sterile, inhospitable place – scientists need more data to answer these questions.

Artist's impression of the JUICE spacecraft approaching Jupiter and the jovian moons. — The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft will travel for eight years before reaching Jupiter. ESA/ATG medialab/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/J. Nichols

Upcoming missions from ESA and NASA

Europa Clipper and JUICE are set up to give scientists game-changing information about the potential habitability of Jupiter’s moons. While both missions will gather data on multiple moons, JUICE will spend time orbiting and focusing on Ganymede, and Europa Clipper will make dozens of close flybys of Europa.

Both of the spacecraft will carry a suite of scientific instruments built specifically to investigate the oceans. Onboard radar will allow Europa Clipper and JUICE to probe into the moons’ outer layers of solid ice. Radar could reveal any small pockets of liquid water in the ice, or, in the case of Europa, which has a thinner outer ice layer than Ganymede and Callisto, hopefully detect the larger ocean.

Magnetometers will also be on both missions. These tools will give scientists the opportunity to study the secondary magnetic fields produced by the interaction of conductive oceans with Jupiter’s field in great detail and will hopefully give researchers clues to salinity and volumes of the oceans.

Scientists will also observe small variations in the moons’ gravitational pulls by tracking subtle movements in both spacecrafts’ orbits, which could help determine if Europa’s seafloor has volcanoes that provide the needed energy and chemistry for the ocean to support life.

Finally, both craft will carry a host of cameras and light sensors that will provide unprecedented images of the geology and composition of the moons’ icy surfaces.

Maybe one day, a spacecraft will be able to drill through the miles of solid ice on Europa, Ganymede or Callisto and explore oceans directly. Until then, observations from spacecraft like Europa Clipper and JUICE are scientists’ best bet for learning about these ocean worlds.

When Galileo discovered these moons in 1609, they were the first objects known to directly orbit another planet. Their discovery was the final nail in the coffin of the theory that Earth – and humanity – resides at the center of the universe. Maybe these worlds have another humbling surprise in store.

This article, originally published April 10, 2023, has been updated with details about the Europa Clipper launch.

Mike Sori, Assistant Professor of Planetary Science, Purdue University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.