Copernical Team
Space debris is coming down more frequently. What are the chances it could hit someone or damage property?
In the past week alone, we've seen two separate incidents of space debris hurtling back to Earth in unexpected places.
On Saturday there was the uncontrolled re-entry of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket over Malaysia. Yesterday outlets reported on some spacecraft parts that turned up in regional New South Wales—now confirmed to be from a SpaceX Crew-1 mission.
As the space industry grows, it's safe to say such incidents will only become more frequent—and they could pose a risk. But how much of a risk, exactly?
Chunks of metal hurtling towards us
Space debris refers to the leftover components of a space system that are no longer required. It might be a satellite that has reached the end of its life (such as the International Space Station), or parts of a rocket system that have fulfilled their purpose and are discarded.
To date, China has launched three Long March 5B rockets, and each has been deliberately left in an uncontrolled orbit.
Co-founder of Texas-based Dude Perfect is set to go to space
The third time really was the charm for Dude Perfect co-founder Coby Cotton.
Cotton and the four other founding members of the Frisco-based sports and entertainment company had their third model rocket competition at the start of July, and Cotton had lost the previous two. The only thing on the line during those competitions was a golden rocket trophy. This time, the prize was a trip to space.
Cotton's rocket soared 7,412 feet in the air, past all of the other competitors' rockets but nowhere near as high as he will be aboard the next Blue Origin rocket on his way to space. He will be a crew member on New Shepard's 22nd flight, which blasts off Thursday.
Cotton started the Dude Perfect YouTube channel with his twin brother and three of their college friends in 2009, after a video of them doing backyard basketball trick shots went viral. It has since grown to become the fourth-biggest sports channel on YouTube.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000, with the mission of making it possible for millions of people to live and work in space.
Earth spun faster June 29, causing shortest day since 1960s
The Earth spun faster around its axis on June 29, making it the shortest day since the planet's rotation began being measured with atomic clocks in the 1960s.
Earth completed one spin in 1.59 milliseconds shy of the typical 24 hours on June 29, according to Time and Date and The Guardian. The record comes as Earth has seen consistently shorter days in the past few years.
Earth's ESA names first 'astronaut' to fly on the Artemis I lunar mission
The specially trained woolly astronaut, Shaun the Sheep, has been assigned a seat on the Artemis I mission to the Moon, it was announced today.
Shaun's assignment was announced by ESA's Director for Human and Robotic Exploration Dr David Parker.
David Parker said, "Shaun's mission assignment rounds off the first phase for the latest members of our astronaut corps, with Italian ESA as Images of EDL Debris
When Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, 2021 the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) hardware was discarded onto the surface at a safe distance away from the rover.
Some of that EDL hardware was later imaged by Perseverance and Ingenuity. For example on Sol 414 (April 19, 2022), the Ingenuity helicopter returned a detailed color image of the discarded parachute and backshell located Momentus First Demonstration Mission Status Update #4
Momentus Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTS), a U.S. commercial space company that plans to offer transportation and other in-space infrastructure services, today provided its fourth Mission Update on its inaugural Vigoride mission that launched on May 25. Since the Company's last update on June 29, Momentus has successfully deployed four additional customer satellites.
Momentus initially deployed two cus Sidus Space selects AWS for LizzieSat constellation
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service satellite company focused on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection is pleased to announce its selection of Amazon Web Services, Inc (AWS) to provide cloud storage of mission critical Satellite-as-a-Service operation and customer data for the upcoming LizzieSat Constellation.
The primary mission of LizzieS SpaceX rocket fueled for launch this week to send Korean mission to moon
South Korea and SpaceX are fueled and ready to send a spacecraft on a long journey this week that will ultimately take it around the moon.
The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is scheduled to launch on Tuesday night from Cape Canaveral in Florida on the back of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The KPLO is expected to go into a low-altitude orbit around the moon after it breaks free of the Solar storm expected to hit Earth, but likely 'weak,' forecasters say
A solar storm birthed from a hole in the sun's atmosphere is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field Wednesday.
Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center are calling for a chance of a geomagnetic storm, caused by a southern hole in the sun's atmosphere.
The gaseous material is flowing from the hole in the sun's atmosphere Remote surgery robot to be tested aboard ISS
A miniaturized robot invented by Nebraska Engineering Professor Shane Farritor may soon blast into space to test its skills. NASA recently awarded the University of Nebraska-Lincoln $100,000 through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at the University of Nebraska Omaha to ready the surgical robot for a 2024 test mission aboard the International Space Station. 
