A roughly 11-foot-diameter metal object, believed to be debris from a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket, was found in a cornfield in Scott Township, Minnesota, during fall harvest. The rocket had launched from Dongfeng in China on September 15, deployed 10 satellites, then reentered the atmosphere without completing a full orbit, with fiery debris seen streaking over Kansas and Minnesota that night. The Stevens County Sheriff's Office said it is working with state and federal agencies to identify the object's owner and arrange removal.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-19
iGarden's K70 is a cordless robotic pool cleaner that scrubs floors, walls, and the waterline, running up to seven hours per charge with scheduling options. It uses three brushless motors to circulate up to 22,000 liters of water hourly, offers a turbo mode for heavy leaf debris, and filters particles down to 50 microns via a 4-liter removable basket. The device is currently available with a $550 discount tied to Prime Big Deal Days.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-01
Turion Space, an Irvine, California startup founded in 2020, has unveiled a new brand identity to reflect its evolution from a space debris removal company into a broader space infrastructure business. The company now builds vehicles, software, and payloads that enable spacecraft to maneuver, gather data, and complete missions in orbit, and it is pursuing larger government contracts against established aerospace firms and newer space rivals.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-29
A new European report examines the growing risk of orbital collisions as active satellites have surged from roughly 1,000 in 2013 to about 17,000 today, according to CelesTrak. SpaceX's Starlink constellation accounts for most of this growth with around 11,000 satellites, while Amazon, Chinese internet constellations, and planned orbital data centers are set to add many more.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-23
LeoLabs has built a transportable radar system called Scout-S, a shipping-container-sized unit that can be set up almost anywhere in a matter of hours using just a generator and a Starlink connection. The system is designed to monitor the rapidly growing number of satellites and debris fragments in low Earth orbit, which has swelled from roughly 2,000 objects in 2019 to nearly 17,000 today, with Starlink accounting for most of that growth.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-18
Yellowstone National Park officials disclosed that visitors have thrown a wide variety of objects into the park's hydrothermal vents this year, ranging from unusual to unsanitary to inexplicable. The park did not release a complete inventory, but staff described the debris as a mix of the wacky, the yucky, and the puzzling.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-15
Astroscale executive Ron Lopez discussed the company's upcoming ISSA-J1 mission for JAXA, which will require rendezvousing with two decommissioned Japanese satellites rather than a rocket body. Unlike the ADRAS-J2 mission targeting a stable rocket stage, ISSA-J1 must approach satellites with protruding solar arrays that are likely tumbling, demanding more advanced rendezvous and proximity operations technology.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-11
Odin Space is selling adhesive vibration sensor strips that satellites can use to detect and measure debris impacts, addressing the mystery behind many small-satellite failures. Meanwhile, Atlanta-area company Atomic-6 is working on lighter alternative shielding to replace or improve upon traditional aluminum panels and Whipple shields used to protect spacecraft from high-speed debris strikes.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-10
Scientists in China have developed a new aluminum-based material modeled on the microstructure of eggshells, aiming to better protect spacecraft from high-speed debris impacts. The work, published in the Journal of Applied Physics, builds on decades of research into how an egg's curved geometry gives it surprising rigidity despite its thinness and fragility.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-08
Growing numbers of satellites and debris in low-Earth orbit are prompting SpaceX and other operators to repeatedly reposition spacecraft to avoid collisions. The increasing density of objects, ranging from active satellites to defunct hardware and fragments, is straining existing traffic-management practices.
wsj.com
· 2026-08-30
New testing of robotic pool vacuums shows that suction strength, measured in gallons of water pulled through per hour, matters less than how efficiently a robot navigates and targets debris. This year's test batch included models with AI-powered cameras and sensors that detect debris and redirect the robot toward it, a first for these tests. Corded models like the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus generally outperformed cordless ones like the Aiper Scuba V3 due to continuous power for repeated cleaning cycles.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-25
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