Population growth is creating a huge demand for infrastructure, even as environmental risks grow. To detect problems early, satellites can provide rich data to help assess infrastructure “health”.
The panel of 60 Starlink satellites just before they were released to go into orbit around Earth.
Official SpaceX Photos
The first 60 satellites from Elon Musk’s planned low orbit internet network have lit up the skies. But with more planned, astronomers say the satellites could ruin their work.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits a facility to celebrate the anniversary of the 1961 first manned space mission. Space capabilities have changed a bit since then.
Alexey Nikolosky / AAP
India, China, the United States and Russia can now precisely target objects in space. But we currently lack appropriate rules and regulations to deal with space weapons.
Perhaps hoping for an election boost, India’s Prime Minister Modi announces that Indian scientists shot down a live satellite at a low-earth orbit.
Jaipal Singh / AAP
On 27 March, India announced it had successfully conducted an anti-satellite missile test, Mission Shakti. India is now the fourth country in the world displaying this capability.
A Landsat view of Mount St. Helens in 2011.
U.S. Geological Survey
Satellites hundreds of miles overheard are helping scientists to predict drought, track floods and see how climate change is changing access to water resources.
Monitoring the whereabouts of floodwaters is vital for protecting infrastructure.
AAP Image/Andrew Rankin
The flood zone around Townsville extends for hundreds of kilometres, making monitoring difficult even from the air. But scientists are testing a new satellite method that can peer through the clouds.
The key to predicting drought is knowing how much water is in the soil, as well as how much rain is on the way.
AAP Image
New satellite-based research shows there is at least as much value in knowing how much water is left for plants to use as there is in knowing how much rain may be on the way.
SpaceX’s 3 December Falcon 9 rocket launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base USA was carrying Australian small satellites.
SPACEX/AAP
Could Canadian technology play a part in the newly announced U.S. Space Force? A team at McMaster University has developed an instrument that could keep Space Force troops safe from radiation.
Iridium’s latest launch brings its next-generation satellite network close to completion. But will it be put to the sword by a whole set of smaller rivals?
A launch like this could happen from Australian soil - with the right investment.
from www.shutterstock.com
We’ve launched rockets from Woomera in South Australia, but in reality Australia could support multiple launch sites. And the closer to the equator, typically the better.
Last summer one of Antarctica’s floating ice shelves calved an iceberg the size of Delaware – but scientists say other less dramatic changes reveal more about how and why Antarctica is changing.