All articles tagged with #orbital decay
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, launched 36 years ago, is now in a precarious era as orbital drag and aging gyros threaten its stability; forecasts place possible reentry from the late 2020s to the mid-2030s, with options including a controlled reentry or boosting to a higher orbit, though a post-Shuttle servicing mission isn’t feasible and any final mission remains uncertain, even amid occasional proposals like a SpaceX Crew Dragon visit.
NASA has paused most Swift Observatory science operations to reduce atmospheric drag and slow its orbital decay, as the 21-year-old gamma-ray telescope faces a rising risk of uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026. To extend its life, NASA awarded a $30 million contract to Katalyst Space Technologies for a rescue mission to rendezvous with Swift and boost its orbit, with a launch aimed for June to keep the spacecraft above about 185 miles in altitude. The Burst Alert Telescope will still detect gamma-ray bursts, while other telescopes remain on hold to minimize drag.
A massive exoplanet, TOI-2109b, is spiraling towards its star in a process called orbital decay, with three possible outcomes: it could be consumed by the star, torn apart by tidal forces, or lose its gaseous layers to become a rocky super-Earth. Researchers are monitoring this process to better understand planetary evolution and star-planet interactions.
A new study explores what happens if a paper airplane is launched from the ISS, finding it would quickly decay and burn up in Earth's atmosphere within about 3.5 days, and suggesting such disposable objects could be used for low-cost atmospheric measurements and space debris management.
Research indicates that increased solar activity shortens the lifespan of SpaceX's Starlink satellites and may cause them to reenter Earth's atmosphere at higher velocities, potentially increasing debris risks. The study highlights the impact of geomagnetic storms on satellite orbit and reentry, emphasizing the growing challenges of managing the increasing number of satellites in Earth's orbit.