Inside the Company Making California's New Climate Satellite
A hip factory in downtown San Francisco is producing miniature satellites with major implications for climate research and environmental preservation—and also for privacy.
Satellites
How an Innovative Night Imaging System Could Help Curb Illegal Fishing
Global Fishing Watch, a non-profit group, is using new technology to fill in a major gap in its monitoring data.
This Satellite-Based Monitoring System Could Be a Game-Changer for Coral Reef Conservation
An innovative monitoring system would allow researchers, policymakers, and environmentalists to track reef damaging events across the globe in near-real time.
Spotting the Hardware in the Heavens
It's tricky to get a good estimate for how many satellites are in the skies above us, but if you've ever looked up at the night sky you've probably seen one orbiting the Earth.
How New Satellites Can Help Prevent Disaster Insurance Fraud
Satellite images could suddenly make it a lot riskier to perpetrate these crimes.
A Group of Scientists Is Helping to Determine the Future of America's Satellites
An influential new survey will help government agencies decide which satellite capabilities to fund.
India Launches Satellite Aboard Most Powerful Rocket in Country's History
The rocket helped propel a three-tonne GSAT-19 satellite into orbit, the country's largest to date.
How the West's Wildfires Look From Space
Some of the fires are creating enough heat to compete with major cities at night.
We Can Now Detect Earthquakes From Space—and Maybe Venusquakes Too
Quakes may offer scientific clues about planets' interiors.
Spying on the Spooks
Armed with binoculars and a standard camera, a different sort of birdwatcher keeps tabs on the world's spy satellites.
Texas, Tom and Jerry, and a Thirsty Planet
How scientists at Austin’s Center for Space Research are measuring the loss of water around the world with a pair of aging satellites.
A Possible Solution for Space Junk
Swiss scientists plan to send a "janitor satellite" into orbit to attempt to clean up space debris.
Snagging Free-Range Solar Power in Space Is An Option
Floating solar cells far above Earth and beaming the energy to the grid has shifted from loony to funded.
Finding Water from Outer Space
A globe-trotting geologist uses satellites and other remote-sensing platforms to find water under some of the world's thirstiest places.
Spacefarers Need A Wiki
Merely identifying all the stuff orbiting Earth isn't enough to prevent mishaps. We need to know where it's going in data everyone can interpret.
Space Probe to Measure How Sloshed Mother Earth Is
A European satellite scheduled to launch today will provide hard data on rising seas.
Looking for a Traffic Cop in Space
The collision of two satellites over Siberia highlights long-standing calls for a traffic management system and a no-littering policy in space.
Various Groups Gather to Study Nature's Calendar
The United States has built one of the most advanced technological societies the world has ever seen, but we still don't really know when spring starts.