Home

News

In Space
Delivery systems
Ariane Launch
ACME Launch
Satellites

On the Ground
Communication
Observation

Contact

Satellites Destroyed in Orbital Collision


A commercial satellite owned by a U.S. company was destroyed in a collision with a defunct Russian military satellite in what NASA said was the first such accident in orbit, raising new concerns about the dangers of space debris.

The crash, which happened Tuesday in low-earth orbit, involved one of the satellites owned by closely held Iridium Satellite LLC and a crippled Russian military satellite that apparently stopped functioning years ago, according to U.S. government and satellite-industry officials.

The collision created two large clouds of debris floating roughly 480 miles above Siberia, and prompted space scientists and engineers to assess the likelihood of further collisions.

Need a replacement?

Copyright © 2013 Web Chemistry - all rights reserved - powered by BCMS Demo version