Earthquake sensors offer real-time tracking for reentering space junk

Researchers propose using a global network of seismic sensors to detect sonic booms from space debris as they reenter Earth, enabling reconstruction of their trajectories and potentially pinpointing where fragments might land. In a 2024 Shenzhou 17 module event, 127 California seismic stations recorded the sonic boom, revealing the debris path differed from orbital predictions and suggesting ground impact could occur between Bakersfield and Las Vegas; the approach could speed up locating debris and inform risk assessments, with future work expanding to acoustic sensors over oceans. The study, published in Science, highlights how quake networks could augment current radar/optical tracking in space situational awareness.