Russian spacecraft weighing half a ton to crash on Earth. Why it's worrying
WHY IS ITS ARRIVAL WORRYING?What makes this reentry particularly worrisome is the robust design of the descent module.Built to survive the extreme conditions of Venus-enduring up to 300 G's of acceleration and 100 atmospheres of pressure-the capsule is encased in a titanium heat shield.Unlike most space debris, which burns up on reentry, Cosmos-482 is likely to survive the fiery plunge and reach Earth's surface largely intact. As Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, notes, 'Its heat shield means that the half-ton, one-metre-diameter sphere might well survive Earth atmosphere entry and hit the ground. In which case I expect it'll have the usual one-in-several-thousand chance of hitting someone. The vehicle is dense but inert and has no nuclear materials. No need for major concern, but you wouldn't want it bashing you on the head."advertisementThe exact time and location of the impact remain uncertain, with predictions spanning May 10 to May 13 and anywhere between 52 degrees north and south latitude-covering most populated regions on Earth.While the odds of injury are low-estimated at about 1 in 25,000 for causing deadly damage-experts warn that the risk, though small, is not negligible.Beyond the immediate safety concerns, the event highlights the ongoing hazards posed by aging space debris. Cosmos-482's return is points to thousands of uncontrolled objects still orbiting Earth, some built with materials and designs that could survive reentry.As space activity intensifies, experts stress the need for better tracking and international protocols to mitigate risks from future uncontrolled reentries.
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First Post
15 hours ago
- First Post
Lasers, sabotage and more... How China is planning to challenge Musk's Starlink in space
China is increasing efforts to counter Elon Musk's Starlink, the world's largest satellite internet network. From attack satellites and lasers to building its own mega-constellation, Beijing sees Starlink's dominance and US military links as a major security risk. But with 8,000 satellites already in orbit, can China contain Starlink? read more In this long exposure photo, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of Starlink V2 Mini internet satellites lifts off from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, late Sunday, July 23, 2023. File Image/AP China's space strategists are increasingly focused on one name: Starlink. The satellite internet network created by Elon Musk's SpaceX has rapidly transformed from an ambitious tech project into an essential piece of global infrastructure, and Beijing now sees it as a major security challenge. Starlink's impact has been swift and sweeping. Since the first launches in 2019, it has built the world's largest low-Earth orbit satellite network. Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell notes that Starlink now operates over 8,000 active satellites, amounting to nearly two-thirds of everything orbiting Earth, reported AP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD SpaceX ultimately aims to deploy tens of thousands more — an unprecedented scale that no competitor has come close to matching. That scale has translated into near-global coverage. Starlink beams internet to more than 140 countries, providing affordable, high-speed connections even in remote or hard-to-reach areas. Recent expansions into Vietnam, Pakistan, Niger, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo underscore its reach. In June, Starlink finally won approval to operate in India, overcoming years of regulatory hurdles and political resistance to open a market of 1.5 billion people. There are only a handful of blind spots left on Starlink's map: North Korea, Iran and China. For Beijing, the implications go far beyond commercial internet access. Starlink's tight integration with US military operations has led Chinese researchers and government officials to see it as both a strategic threat and a symbol of American technological dominance. In this long exposure photo, Starlink satellites are visible in the sky near Salgotarjan, Hungary, early Monday, November 25, 2019. File Image/MTI via AP 'As the United States integrates Starlink technology into military space assets to gain a strategic advantage over its adversaries, other countries increasingly perceive Starlink as a security threat in nuclear, space, and cyber domains,' wrote professors from China's National University of Defense Technology in a 2023 paper. The Ukraine turning point Concerns about Starlink escalated dramatically after Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Starlink terminals became a critical tool for Ukraine's military, allowing secure battlefield communications and controlling surveillance and attack drones. The war revealed not only how effective Starlink could be in wartime, but also how much power rested in the hands of Musk himself. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Because Starlink coverage could be extended — or withheld — by Musk, Ukrainian officials saw him as both an enabler and a gatekeeper. He reportedly refused to extend Starlink service to support a Ukrainian counteroffensive into Crimea. For Chinese military planners, Ukraine was a clear warning. If Starlink could tip the balance on one battlefield, it could also be used against them in any future conflict. In this image from video provided by SpaceX, a Falcon 9 deploys Starlink satellites after it lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Space Force Station, November 13, 2021. File Image SpaceX via AP Nearly all of the 64 academic papers on Starlink reviewed by the Associated Press in Chinese journals were published after the Ukraine war began, suggesting the conflict fundamentally shifted China's strategic approach to the technology. Nitin Pai, co-founder of the Indian think tank Takshashila Institution, summed up the shift in thinking beyond China's borders, 'Ukraine was a warning shot for the rest of us. For the last 20 years, we were quite aware of the fact that giving important government contracts to Chinese companies is risky because Chinese companies operate as appendages of the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore, it's a risk because the Chinese Communist Party can use technology as a lever against you. Now it's no different with the Americans.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Beijing is planning to counter Starlink The studies coming out of China reveal just how seriously the country is taking the Starlink challenge — and how far its scientists are willing to go to neutralise it. Some of the proposals seem straight out of science fiction: stealth submarines armed with lasers to blind satellites, attack satellites equipped with ion thrusters, and the use of corrosive materials to damage Starlink's solar panels or batteries. Other suggestions are more grounded but no less aggressive. Engineers from the People's Liberation Army have explored ideas such as launching fleets of 'chaser satellites' to shadow Starlink units and potentially interfere with them. In this long exposure photo, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kansas, US, on May 6, 2021. File Image/AP Researchers have also discussed using commercial optical telescopes to track the constellation and even deploying powerful ground-based lasers to burn out sensitive components. Beyond direct attacks, some papers suggest indirect tactics — like sabotaging Starlink's supply chain. A 2023 study by the government-backed China Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team highlighted potential vulnerabilities in Starlink's production network. 'The company has more than 140 first-tier suppliers and a large number of second-tier and third-tier suppliers downstream,' the authors noted. 'The supervision for cybersecurity is limited.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Other academics have pushed for using diplomacy and international regulations as tools to hem in Starlink's reach, while still keeping active countermeasures on the table. One paper published in China carried a blunt title: 'Watch out for that Starlink.' Why the world is wary — not just China China isn't alone in worrying about Starlink's growing clout. Some of Washington's own allies have raised concerns about a global communications infrastructure dominated by a single private company and an unpredictable owner. Musk's personal and political entanglements have amplified those concerns. He poured tens of millions into United States President Donald Trump's reelection bid and briefly served as a government adviser before publicly breaking with Trump in May. Musk's influence has spilled into European politics as well, where he has used his platform to promote populist and hard-right voices. US President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, November 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. File Image/AP Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to be intertwined with core US government functions. It launches military satellites, recovers stranded astronauts, and holds multi-billion-dollar contracts with Nasa and the National Reconnaissance Office. That web of connections leaves many foreign governments uneasy about relying on Starlink for critical services. Christophe Grudler, a French member of the European Parliament who spearheaded work on the EU's IRIS2 satellite project, voiced Europe's strategic unease, 'We are allies with the United States of America, but we need to have our strategic autonomy. The risk is not having our destiny in our own hands.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Competitors struggle to catch up For all the anxiety Starlink has generated, no other player is close to matching its scale. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is building Project Kuiper, which launched its first internet satellites in April 2025. But Kuiper has only 78 satellites in orbit so far — a fraction of its planned 3,232. OneWeb, based in London, has around 650 satellites, far below its initial ambitions. The European Union is investing billions into its own IRIS2 constellation, but progress has been slow, forcing Brussels to ask member states to hold off on signing Starlink contracts until the EU system is ready. Even China's own efforts are still in their early phases. China builds its own mega-constellations Recognising that it cannot simply block Starlink forever, Beijing is also racing to create a homegrown equivalent — one that would serve both national security needs and commercial ambitions abroad. In 2021, the government created the state-owned China SatNet company to oversee the launch of a new constellation called Guowang. The goal: 13,000 satellites. So far, 60 are operational. The private sector is pitching in too. Shanghai-backed Qianfan has launched 90 satellites and plans a fleet of 15,000. The company is already forging international partnerships, signing a deal with Brazil in November 2024 after Musk clashed publicly with a Brazilian judge who froze SpaceX's accounts in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Qianfan is also targeting customers in Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, with ambitions to expand into Africa. But despite these efforts, China remains far behind Musk's constellation — and catching up will take years. A new space race? Starlink's dominance has effectively turned low-Earth orbit into a new arena for geopolitical competition. Starlink's near-monopoly status gives SpaceX — and by extension, Musk — leverage that few private companies have ever wielded. With service spanning 140 countries, SpaceX can dictate the terms of connectivity for entire regions. And because the same satellites that fly over China also pass over Europe, Ukraine, and the US, any attempt by Beijing to disrupt the constellation could have global consequences. For Beijing, the challenge is twofold: neutralsze Starlink's potential as a tool of US military power and ensure China is not left dependent on foreign networks in the future. That has triggered what amounts to a new space race — one not defined by who reaches the Moon first, but by who controls the flow of data across Earth. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD SpaceX, meanwhile, shows no sign of slowing down. Also Watch: With inputs from agencies
The Print
2 days ago
- The Print
NASA & ISRO's Earth observation satellite NISAR lifts off from Sriharikota. What happens now
It is the first satellite to be mounted with dual SARs—L and S bands—operating in different frequencies. NISAR, which took off at 5.40 pm from India's Sriharikota space port, will produce high-resolution images and data on various aspects of the planet, including key information for predicting disasters such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods and earthquakes. New Delhi: Post its launch Wednesday evening, the world's most expensive and powerful Earth observation satellite, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), will undergo a series of actions for nearly 90 days before it starts releasing its scientific observations. Aravind Ravichandran, Earth observation consultant and communicator, and founder and CEO of TerraWatch Space, an independent advisory and strategic communications firm, said in a statement that NISAR is the 'most important Earth observation (EO) satellite ever' because of the global impact it promises. 'NISAR will complement foundational EO missions like Sentinel-1 by offering consistent, freely available SAR data, which also becomes valuable for training foundation models. It will have a significant global impact, especially in the Global South, where persistent cloud cover and limited ground infrastructure have led to data gaps,' he said. Also Read: Lift the veil, abandon Soviet-era approach. Indian science community wants ISRO to up its PR game What will happen after launch? In a press conference announcing the launch of NISAR, scientists from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration had said that Indian Space Research Organisation's GSLV-F16 will place the 2.8-tonne satellite into a sun-synchronous polar orbit. The mission is carrying a 12-metre-wide reflector, which will serve as a radar antenna. Since such a large piece of equipment cannot be carried in its original form, it was folded up compactly during the launch, and once the satellite reaches its intended orbit, it will be opened up using a complex multi-stage boom system. This deployment process is expected to begin on the 10th day after the launch. Before the radar antenna is unfurled into its complete form, engineers will undertake pre-deployment checks. In its last leg of deployment, the satellite will perform a 'yaw manoeuvre' to precisely orient itself before beginning operations, according to NASA. In its mission handbook, NASA states that NISAR's global and rapid coverage will provide unprecedented opportunities for disaster response, providing data to assist in mitigating and assessing damage, with observations before and after disasters in short time frames. 'NISAR will also be capable of measuring changes in groundwater reserves across the land. Climate change, coupled with growing populations, is causing increasing stress on groundwater resources globally,' it adds. The US space agency, which is partnering with India's ISRO for the first time for a SAR satellite, said that by measuring changes in Earth's surface, the scientific community across the world will be able to understand processes occurring below the surface. 'Subsidence (downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface) is often the first indication of changes in reservoirs or over-exploitation of aquifers. Subsidence that continues for too long can lead to irreversible collapse of the aquifer system. Informed decisions allow us to make the most of our resources sustainably and economically,' it says. Experts also highlighted the scale of data that NISAR will be dealing with and how the mission places India as a trusted partner in the global space domain. Yashas Karanam, co-founder and COO of Bengaluru-based Bellatrix Aerospace, a space start-up, said the collaborative effort shown by ISRO in providing the launch service and the S-band SAR, and NASA providing the L-band SAR on this project, truly exemplified what global cooperation focused on the well-being of the planet should look like. 'What sets NISAR apart technically is its interferometric SAR (InSAR) capability, which will provide a meter-scale resolution. It marks a shift in our ability to model, mitigate, and adapt to climate change and natural disasters,' Karanam told ThePrint. 'In many ways, it stands as a civilisational asset, providing foresight and data necessary to potentially avert the impact of natural and anthropogenic threats,' he added. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: 'Today's the day!' $1.5 bn ISRO-NASA partnered NISAR satellite set for liftoff
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
NASA proves growing plants in space is key to healthy astronaut life on Mars missions and deep space travel
The idea of growing plants in space once sounded like a far-off dream, but modern scientific advancements have brought it closer to reality. This achievement is not only about enjoying the sight of greenery in a weightless environment but also about ensuring survival, maintaining astronaut mental health , and supporting future deep space missions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Fresh vegetables in space could reduce dependency on pre-packaged food, recycle air and water, and offer emotional comfort during long-duration journeys to Mars or beyond. These experiments lay the groundwork for sustainable life-support systems essential for deep space exploration . Why growing plants in space is important Space travel involves extreme isolation and limited resources. Currently, astronauts rely on vacuum-packed and freeze-dried meals, which lack freshness and can lose nutritional value over time. Growing plants on spacecraft or space stations offers multiple benefits: Nutritional value: Fresh vegetables retain essential vitamins and minerals lost during food processing. Psychological comfort: Caring for plants and witnessing natural growth provides a sense of home and stress relief Life-support role: Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and can help purify water, contributing to a closed-loop life-support system. NASA's Veggie project overcomes challenges to bloom a Zinnia aboard the ISS In 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly posted an image of a blooming zinnia aboard the International Space Station (ISS), calling it the 'first flower grown in space.' This was a breakthrough moment as it symbolized humanity's ability to grow complex plants beyond Earth. However, the journey to that bloom wasn't easy. The zinnias initially faced mold growth and were on the verge of dying. By following modified care instructions from NASA scientists and Kelly's careful attention—his 'green thumb'—the plants recovered and successfully bloomed. This experiment was part of NASA's Veggie project, which focuses on growing food in microgravity. Earlier attempts at growing flowers in space While Kelly's zinnias were celebrated worldwide, they were not technically the first flowers grown in space. There have been several earlier milestones: 2012 – Don Pettit's sunflower experiment: Astronaut Don Pettit cultivated a sunflower aboard the ISS using improvised containers and documented its journey in his blog Diary of a Space Zucchini. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 1990s – Wheat growth on Mir Station: Russian cosmonauts grew dwarf wheat aboard the Mir space station, demonstrating flowering in microgravity conditions. 1982 – Arabidopsis on Salyut 7: The Soviet crew successfully grew Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant, which Guinness World Records recognizes as the first plant to bloom and produce seeds in space. 1966 – Cosmos 110 Bean experiment: Even earlier, the uncrewed Soviet Cosmos 110 mission germinated and bloomed beans, which astonishingly grew almost twice as fast as on Earth. NASA's Veggie experiment: Pioneering growing plants in space NASA's Veggie experiment was developed to explore food production in space for long-duration missions. Initially, it focused on lettuce, later expanding to zinnias and eventually targeting tomatoes and other crops. Growing food in orbit is not just about nutrition but also about sustainability, reducing dependence on supply missions from Earth. In the future, space farming systems could become standard on missions to Mars or permanent lunar bases, providing astronauts with fresh food, cleaner air, and improved psychological well-being. Also Read |
