"It didn't seem to be any different than the other near-Earth asteroids that we discover," Wierzchos said, "except that it was found to be orbiting Earth instead of the sun."
If the discovery holds up, the object, named 2020 CD3 for now, would be the second minimoon ever found.
The solar system is full of primordial crumbs, most of which circle the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Sometimes, Jupiter's gravitational influence sends those space rocks careening toward the inner solar system, where some could threaten Earth. While they orbit near us, they don't orbit us . That's what makes 2020 CD3 so rare. Around 18 months to a year ago, the Earth-moon system's gravity captured the tiny rock in an orbital dance.
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Army looks to leverage 'low Earth orbit' satellites | Article | The United
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk explains why we need a 'whole new architecture' for space travel | Space
That was a question about Russia's workhorse spacecraft posed by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk at this year's Satellite 2020 conference here. In a keynote conversation yesterday (March 9), Musk wondered aloud about the dangers of spaceflight stagnating in low Earth orbit, which he called the "local maximum."
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Low Earth orbit, which stretches about 300 to 1,200 miles above Earth's surface, already holds the International Space Station (ISS), as well as many satellites. He noted that NASA's space shuttle program , which operated from 1981 to 2011 and launched 135 missions, was "something that was really stuck in a local maximum for a long time," and never progressed past low Earth orbit.
SATELLITE 2020 Show Daily — Day 3 - Beyond GEO: Major Operators Have A Multi-Orbit Focus | Via
Facing competition from a wave of NewSpace market entrants, satellite operators have to respond by moving to a mixed-orbit model and focusing on broader service delivery, executives said during the General Session at Satellite 2020 on Tuesday.
"Satellite has to play in a much bigger sandpit," SES President and CEO Steve Collar said. "The days of niche and expensive are long gone ... We need to move to broad-based and affordable."
Collar said that SES was moving to a multi-orbit model, integrating its legacy Geostationary (GEO) satellites and new Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation to provide a seamless service for its customers.
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The Nile River Seen From Orbit - SpaceRef
This image taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 263 miles above Sudan shows the Nile River winding northward next to the Red Sea toward the Mediterranean Sea.
Hughes And OneWeb Announce Global Distribution Partnership For Low Earth Orbit Satellite Service
Hughes Network Systems, LLC, the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, and OneWeb, the global communications company with a mission to bring connectivity to everyone everywhere, announced on 9 March 2020 that Hughes has become a worldwide distribution partner for OneWeb.
OneWeb's constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites will expand Hughes service offerings and ensure its customers can access low-latency, high-speed connectivity, wherever they are. Applications will include enterprise and government networking, cellular backhaul and community Wi-Fi hotspots.
Momentus buys six slots on SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare missions – TechCrunch
Momentus , the in-space shuttle service for payloads, has bought six spaces on SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program missions.
The company’s Vigoride vehicles already have customers, including Steamjet, NuSpace and Aurora Space Technologies, according to a statement from the company.
The company is part of a growing number of last-mile shuttle services — in space. The idea is to create more customized and less-crowded orbiting options for satellite companies as the number of satellites encircling the Earth proliferate.
SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule arrives at space station | Space
SpaceX's robotic Dragon cargo capsule arrived at the International Space Station early this morning (March 9), delivering more than 4,300 lbs. (1,950 kilograms) of supplies to the orbiting lab.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir used the station's huge Canadarm robotic arm to capture Dragon at 6:25 a.m. EDT (1025 GMT), while the two spacecraft were 262 miles (422 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean near Vancouver, British Columbia, NASA officials said.
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