Multiple companies are planning to develop space-based data centers, which would greatly increase the number of satellites in Earth orbit. (Image credit: ESA) By Julian Dossett, Published by Space.com, 5 February 2026 U.S. companies also plan to build solar-powered data centers in space as the market becomes crowded on Earth.
BY Maia Davies, Published by the BBC, 31 January 2026 Elon Musk's SpaceX has applied to launch one million satellites into Earth's orbit to power artificial intelligence (AI). The application claims "orbital data centres" are the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the growing demand for AI computing power.
The atmospheric reentry process generates extreme heat and mechanical loads, which lead to the satellite's disintegration at the altitude of about 45 miles. (Image credit: ESA) By Leonard David, Published by Space.com, 31 January 2026 "Understanding how different materials behave as they burn up could help engineers design satellites that
An illustration of satellites breaking up in Earth orbit. (Image credit: Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images) By Andrew Jones, Published by Space.com, 30 January 2026 Ground-based observations suggest the former geostationary inspector satellite suffered a fragmentation event months after retirement, raising new concerns about debris in high Earth orbit. A
Image credit: SpaceX via Flickr By Jowi Morales, Published by Tom's Hardware, 28 January 2025 The 70km (43mi) altitude reduction will reduce the risk of collisions for Starlink satellites. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Software reported that Starlink has reduced its altitude for a big chunk
An artist's illustration of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites in orbit. (Image credit: SpaceX) Published by Futura, 26 January 2026 SpaceX is one of the earliest and most dominant players in low Earth orbit, a massive presence that also comes with growing risks. The end of the year has been particularly
The Cygnus re-supply vehicle, which delivers cargo to the International Space Station, burning up in the atmosphere during its reentry. (Image credit: ESA/Alexander Gerst) By Tereza Pultarova, Published by Space.com, 24 January 2026 "Starlink satellites demise over the Pacific, but there is no way to actually check that out." At
A long-exposure photograph in the northern hemisphere showing satellites in the night skyAlan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images By Jonathan O'Callaghan, Published by New Scientist, 23 January 2026 The company’s mega-constellation is having to perform a huge number of manoeuvres to prevent a collision in Earth orbit A report
