Archive · 25 Jan 2026

Tracking Space Debris Using Earthquake Sensors

Tracking Space Debris Using Earthquake Sensors

Scientists have a hard time knowing where space junk, like old satellites and rocket parts, will fall when they come back to Earth.

This can be dangerous and cause problems, like when a big rocket part was expected to fall in Europe but actually landed in the Pacific Ocean.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London found a new way to track this space junk using earthquake sensors.

These sensors can hear the loud boom made by the space junk as it falls through the air.

In a test, they tracked a part from a Chinese spaceship and found it was not where scientists thought it would be.

This new method could help us know where space junk is falling in real time, making it safer for everyone.

Sources