Speeding Satellites On Collision Course Above Pittsburgh Do Not Hit
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Crisis averted.
On Wednesday night, the two satellites on a possible collision course over Pittsburgh did not collide, according to LeoLabs.
"Thankfully our latest data following the event shows no evidence of new debris. To be sure, we will perform a further assessment upon the next pass of both objects over Kiwi Space Radar occurring later tonight," LeoLabs said on Twitter.
Thankfully our latest data following the event shows no evidence of new debris. To be sure, we will perform a further assessment upon the next pass of both objects over Kiwi Space Radar occurring later tonight.
— LeoLabs, Inc. (@LeoLabs_Space) January 30, 2020
What started as a 1 in 100 chance increased to a 1 in 20 chance of a collision 900 km above Pittsburgh.
LeoLabs, which tracks space debris, first put out the alert along with a visualization of the event on Tuesday.
One satellite was roughly the size of a trash can, about 10 pounds.
The other was the size of a small car.
They were headed straight for each other at more than 10 times the speed of a bullet.
"These are actual space ships that could collide in space. Sure they're unmanned and they've been not operational for a while," Ralph Crewe with Bulh Planetarium and Observatory, Carnegie Science Center told KDKA Tuesday.
