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    Amazon seeks FCC approval for 5,105 more satellites amid debris concerns●# Amazon is asking the # FCC to approve 5,105 massive new # satellites while hiding their orbital debris risk models behMmastodonScienceSpace Policy31441 min ago

    Amazon has asked the US Federal Communications Commission to approve launching 5,105 additional satellites for its Project Kuiper broadband constellation. Critics say the company is withholding its orbital debris risk models behind corporate confidentiality, arguing the public deserves transparency about collision and space-junk risks. Space policy and environmental advocates are pressing regulators to demand full disclosure before any approval is granted.

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    New Satellite Engine Could Use Air as Fuel to Stay in Orbit●New Satellite Engine Could Use Earth's Atmosphere to Stay in Orbit IndefinitelyYhnScienceSpace Policy6841 min ago

    Researchers have developed an engine concept that scoops up thin air in low Earth orbit and uses it as propellant, potentially letting satellites maintain altitude indefinitely without refuelling. Conventional satellites slowly lose height to atmospheric drag and need limited thruster fuel; an air-breathing electric thruster could replace that, extending mission lifetimes and reducing space debris. The idea has drawn wide interest on tech forums, with readers debating its practicality and implications for future satellite operations.

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    Falling space junk risks rising, experts warn●"For now, people are more likely to be struck by lightning than by falling space junk. But those odds are shifting. SeanMmastodonScienceSpace Policy4641 min ago

    Former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe and other experts say the odds of someone being hurt by falling space debris are growing as more objects reenter the atmosphere. While a person is still more likely to be struck by lightning, they argue governments and companies should be compelled to use satellite materials that fully burn up on reentry.

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    A new analysis argues that the accelerating competition in space is no longer just about reaching orbit first, but about keeping it usable. With growing numbers of satellites, debris, and competing national programmes, the piece frames orbital sustainability as a strategic necessity rather than an environmental afterthought. It calls for treating the long-term health of Earth's orbit as central to space policy planning.

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    Updated Google Earth images reveal scale of destruction in Gaza●The Uncovering of the # Gaza Genocide This week Google Earth updated its images of Gaza. Raised to the ground - but undeMmastodonWarMiddle East41 h ago

    Google Earth has released updated satellite imagery of Gaza this week, showing entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble following nearly two years of Israeli military operations. Commenters are sharing the images to argue that the extent of devastation visible from space amounts to evidence of genocide, noting that bodies continue to be recovered from beneath the debris. The new imagery has reignited debate over the war's toll.

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    Cold War spy satellite breaks apart in orbit●A Cold War Spy Satellite Named After Farrah Fawcett Just Blew Apart in OrbitYhnWar241 h ago

    An American Cold War-era reconnaissance satellite, informally nicknamed after actress Farrah Fawcett, has apparently broken apart in orbit. The cause of the fragmentation is not yet confirmed, with possibilities including residual fuel, battery failure, or a collision. Observers are tracking the resulting debris and discussing the risks such breakup events pose to other spacecraft and the long-term problem of orbital junk.