August 2017
Space invaders and the usual suspects - disruptive trends in Earth observation
.... Two months after its launch, SPOT 1 was tasked with acquiring the first 10 m images after the explosion of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. SPOT 1 demonstrated one of the main benefits of commercial remote sensing...
January 2020
Discipline - a formula for success in the Earth observation market EO sector
... has captured the imagination of market influencers and investors, the NewSpace industry is finding itself in the midst of an explosion of interest. We’ve seen this before in the halcyon days of the internet, during the rush to deliver new Fintech...
April 2020
Satellite mega-constellations pose threat to ground-based astronomy
... junk, a swarm of objects comprising anything from abandoned satellites and rocket upper stages to fragments from explosions and collisions, and even tools unintentionally released by astronauts. Several Starlink satellites are already out of control...
March 2021
Messier 82’s starburst magnetic highway
... are forming at an exceptionally high rate, burning brightly and wreaking havoc in the form of winds, shocks and explosions, all triggered by a close encounter with its galactic neighbour, Messier 81, several hundred million years ago. Joan...
May 2021
Forecasting space-weather effects on Earth
... magnetic field lines near sunspots often twist and realign, and these changes can trigger a sudden explosion of electromagnetic energy, called a solar flare, which releases radiation into space. Sometimes, this release is accompanied by an ejection...
June 2022
Space activities and space debris - finding an ethical balance
... launches have led to the problem of space debris: defunct human-made objects – or fragments caused by their collisions or explosions – which gravitate into the crowded orbit of the Earth. NASA scientist Donald J Kessler first theorised about...
