UK observatory nervously watches growing space junk threat

British observatory nervously watches growing space junk threat

More than 46,000 pieces of debris are currently in orbit, according to the European Space Agency. Read more at straitstimes.com.

UK observatory nervously watches growing space junk threat

As the hulking antenna swivels into action, screens inside the control room light up with the names of objects the radar system detects: stars, satellites and abandoned rocket bodies. Experts at Chilbolton Observatory, operated by the UK's national space laboratory RAL Space, monitor UK-licenced satellites and fast-multiplying fragments of space debris swirling around them. The space junk includes defunct man-made objects like rocket bodies, dea…