Huge Satellite Poses 150-Year Threat of Space Debris

In three years, the European Space Agency will become the owner of what is possibly the most dangerous piece of space debris circling the Earth for the next 150 years: the 17,636-pound Envisat Earth observation satellite. The space agency will take control of the Envisat satellite, which has been extended to 2013 and appears to set records wherever it goes. Launched in 2002, Envisat was the biggest non-military Earth observation satellite ever built. At $2.9 billion in today's dollars, it is one of the most expensive. Its mission is viewed as a success by its users, all the more so insofar as the original five-year mission has been stretched to 11 years. More

(Source: Space.com - Jul 28)