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New Device Detects Satellites, Prevents Orbital Collisions

2/22/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have unveiled the Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI), a groundbreaking device designed to identify satellites from the ground. This compact, energy-efficient tool broadcasts a unique ID code visible from 1,000 kilometers away, helping to avert potential collisions in the bustling realm of Earth’s orbit, where thousands of satellites, including those from Starlink and Amazon, coexist.

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Story summary

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have unveiled the Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI), a groundbreaking device designed to identify satellites from the ground. This compact, energy-efficient tool broadcasts a unique ID code visible from 1,000 kilometers away, helping to avert potential collisions in the bustling realm of Earth’s orbit, where thousands of satellites, including those from Starlink and Amazon, coexist.