The world's smallest and lightest satellite is Kalamsat-V2 (or simply Kalamsat), a 64-gram (0.064 kg), 3.8 cm cube-shaped satellite. Developed by an Indian student team led by Rifath Sharook and launched by NASA in 2017, it is a 3D-printed, femto-satellite. It demonstrated the feasibility of using ultra-lightweight technology for space research.
Sputnik I. The space age began on Oct. 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial earth satellite. The event was a milestone in space exploration and a defining moment of the Cold War.
Starlink has been instrumental to SpaceX's growth. SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of January 2026, the constellation consists of over 9,422 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that communicate with designated ground transceivers. Starlink comprises 65% of all active satellites.
How often can you see Starlink satellites in the sky?
Starlink satellites travel very fast and complete one orbit of Earth every 90 minutes which means you can sometimes see them within just two hours of a previous sighting.
Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to have solar electric power. Although communications with the satellite were lost in 1964, it remains the oldest artificial object still in orbit, together with the upper stage of its launch vehicle.
In early 2026, NASA and Blue Origin plan to launch Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1, the first uncrewed mission of the Blue Moon Mark 1 intended to test various technologies needed for future crewed Lunar landers. In the first half of 2026, NASA and Intuitive Machines plan to launch IM-3 aiming to land at Reiner Gamma.
The planet with 42% oxygen in its atmosphere is Mercury, though it's not a breathable atmosphere like Earth's; it's a very thin exosphere where oxygen atoms are stripped from the surface by solar wind, alongside sodium (29%), hydrogen (22%), and helium (6%).
Neither of them has a moon. Because Mercury is so close to the Sun and its gravity, it wouldn't be able to hold on to its own moon. Any moon would most likely crash into Mercury or maybe go into orbit around the Sun and eventually get pulled into it.
On Feb. 17, 1998, Voyager 1 became the most distant human-made object in existence when — at a distance of 69.4 AU from the Sun — it “overtook” Pioneer 10.
How much space junk is there? While there are about 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are also 3,000 dead ones littering space.
Yes, Voyager 1 is still transmitting usable data to Earth, sending back crucial engineering and health status updates after a computer glitch in late 2023 caused it to send only gibberish for several months. NASA engineers successfully resolved the issue in April 2024, allowing the spacecraft to resume sending understandable information, though the goal is to bring its scientific instruments back online.
The guideline known as the 25-year rule,1 which, as mentioned elsewhere in the report, seeks to restrict the post-operational life of objects in space to no more than 25 years, is contained in the U.S. Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices2 and NASA Technical Standard 8719.14.
On 3 November 1957, the second-ever orbiting spacecraft carried the first animal into orbit, the dog Laika, launched aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 spacecraft (nicknamed 'Muttnik' in the West). Laika died during the flight, as was expected because the technology to return spacecraft from orbit had not yet been developed.
Laika is memorialised in the form of a statue and plaque at Star City, the Russian Cosmonaut training facility. Created in 1997, Laika is positioned behind the cosmonauts with her ears erect.
Under Starlink's typical pricing structure, the full equipment kit—comprising the satellite dish, Wi-Fi router, cables, and mounting hardware—retails at $599. The $200 deal slashes this upfront hardware cost by more than 65%, bringing the total down to just $199.
The Starlink "2-month rule" means that for standard residential or Mobile-Regional plans, you can typically use your service outside your home country (roaming) for up to 60 consecutive days, after which you may face service restrictions or require an address change to continue use, aiming to prevent permanent use in sold-out areas or countries without regulatory approval. This policy encourages temporary travel use rather than establishing long-term service abroad, with enforcement sometimes targeting usage in unapproved regions or very congested areas.
Starlink has built significant market share around the world, Farrar said, and users aren't likely to quit just because of the founder's politics. “Once you've got the service and it's running, you're paying every month for it and given there are few alternatives, it's unlikely you'll turn it off,” said Farrar.
