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Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, reshaping satellite collision forecasts
- May 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM
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Solar emissions exert 'drag' on space junk orbiting Earth. From historical measurements across a period of 36 years, researchers have now shown that space junk begins to fall down much faster once the sun's activity across the solar cycle reaches approximately 67% of its peak. This result, which is expected to hold for station-keeping satellites too, is important for better planning of space missions that avoid collisions.
Originally published at Phys.org