Next Appearance: May 13, 2026 University of Houston for Donald Kessler’s honorary doctorate, in recognition of all the work and discoveries at NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office.
It's rocket science
Published:
April 24, 2026
Welcome to another edition of the newsletter. First, we have some great news to share. Our good friend, Donald Kessler is getting recognized by the University of Houston, Texas with an honorable Ph.D. and we are super excited about it. I wrote a short article with more details, which you can read here.
Communications have been a bit slow, because I have been working hard on satellite debris research. During the past few months I attented a few events around the world and the United States, getting involved in the Orbital Debris conversation with industry leaders.
I continue my education regarding orbital debris removal systems and I hope to share more details with everyone soon, about things we can do to help manage and mitigate debris in low earth orbit. We are all very busy here and excited about the possibilities of keeping space sustainable for all of our futures and our children's futures and their grandchildren as well!
Ad Astra!
Here are some notables stories from around the world, highlighting the complexities of orbital usage and how critical it is that we do as much as we possibly can, to mitigate LEO debris.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) continues to face growing challenges from satellite congestion and debris generation. Here are the key developments from March and early April 2026:
Starlink Satellite Anomaly Generates Debris Fragments
On March 29, Starlink satellite 34343 experienced an on-orbit anomaly at ~560 km altitude, resulting in a fragmentation event that created tens of trackable debris objects. SpaceX attributed it to an internal energetic source (not a collision), with no added risk to the ISS or Artemis II. This marks the second such incident following a similar event in December 2025.
Starlink Performs Massive Collision Avoidance Maneuvers
SpaceX Starlink satellites made 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the past 6 months. What does that mean for space safety?
ESA Warns of Rising Debris Collision Risks
ESA's Space Environment Report notes continued rapid growth in tracked objects (~40,000 total) and over 1.2 million untrackable fragments >1 cm, with collision risks and avoidance maneuvers increasing in key LEO bands.
TIME Magazine Highlights Kessler Syndrome Concerns
Growing satellite numbers, especially from mega-constellations, raise the specter of Kessler syndrome—a cascading debris chain reaction—exacerbated by events like past collisions and recent anomalies.
SpaceX Accuses Amazon of Heightened Collision Risks
SpaceX filed complaints with the FCC alleging Amazon's Leo (Kuiper) satellite launches inserted objects at unauthorized higher altitudes, forcing dozens of Starlink maneuvers and creating unmitigable risks in shared orbits. Amazon disputed the claims.
Broader LEO Stability Warnings
Analyses indicate LEO is increasingly unstable, with models showing a dramatically shortened "CRASH Clock" (time to potential collision without maneuvers) due to congestion—down significantly from pre-mega-constellation eras.
Stay tuned for ongoing monitoring as operators and agencies work toward better mitigation strategies.
Sources:
Starlink Satellite Anomaly Generates Debris Fragments
https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/31/starlink_sprays_debris_into_orbit/
Starlink Performs Massive Collision Avoidance Maneuvers
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-50000-collision-avoidance-maneuvers-space-safety
ESA Warns of Rising Debris Collision Risks
https://fodnews.com/esa-space-environment-report-2026-leo-debris-collision-risk/
TIME Magazine Highlights Kessler Syndrome Concerns
https://time.com/article/2026/04/16/space-debris-satellites-growing-risk/
SpaceX Accuses Amazon of Heightened Collision Risks
Broader LEO Stability Warnings
