Two satellite proposals threaten dark and quiet skies worldwide

A long-exposure photograph in the northern hemisphere showing satellites in the night skyAlan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images By Tori Bonidie and Magnus L'Argent, Published by Astrobites, 26 February 2026 Across regions and borders, cultures and customs, the one thing we share is the night sky. Access to the

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Lithium Plume in Our Atmosphere Traced Back to Returning SpaceX Rocket

Artist's impression of a Falcon 9 upper stage with payload in 2015. (SpaceX) By Robyn Schofield & Robert George Ryan, Published by Science Alert, 23 February 2026 Space junk returning to the Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new

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Study Confirms: Reentering SpaceX Rockets Are Peppering the Upper Atmosphere With Metal Pollution

The Falcon 9 upper stage re-entering the atmosphere above Berlin, Germany, on February 19, 2025. Gerd Baumgarten By Passant Rabie, Published by Space & Spaceflight, 19 February 2026 For the first time, scientists were able to directly detect upper-atmospheric pollution from space debris. On February 19, 2025, a Falcon 9

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SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Long exposure photographs showed the Falcon 9 rocket debris over Berlin in 2025 By Georgina Rannard, Published by the BBC, 19 February 2026 When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our atmosphere. Now scientists

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Too many satellites? Earth’s orbit is on track for a catastrophe – but we can stop it

Astronomer’s view of a star obscured by streaks from Starlink satellites. Rafael Schmall/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY By Gregory Radisic and Samantha Lawler, Published by The Conversation, 18 February 2026 On January 30 2026, SpaceX filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission for a megaconstellation of up to one

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Image by Getty / Futurism

A Russian Spy Satellite Shattered in Space: What We Know and Why It’s Concerning

Image by Getty / Futurism By Sylvain Biget and Xavier Demeersman, Published by Futura, 14 February 2026 A Russian spy satellite has broken apart in geostationary orbit, generating a cloud of debris and raising fresh concerns about the growing risks in space. Was it an attack? An explosion? Here’s what

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Credit: janiecbros/Getty Images

Collisions between space traffic could collapse the satellite network

Image: janiecbros/Getty Images By Raquel Brandao, Published by Earth.com, 12 February 2026 Earth’s crowded orbital environment has reached a point where space traffic collisions could occur within days of a widespread tracking failure. That compressed timeline leaves little margin to restore control before debris spreads and raises risks for navigation,

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Two satellite proposals threaten the night sky — the window to act is now

A long-exposure photograph in the northern hemisphere showing satellites in the night skyAlan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Published by Dark Sky, 11 February 2026 In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency responsible for authorizing satellite launches and operations, is reviewing two proposals of unprecedented

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