Reuters Science News Summary

In a statement, the Kremlin said Yuri Borisov, who had headed Roscosmos since July 2022, had been replaced Dmitry Bakanov, a deputy transport minister who ran a satellite company before joining the government. Scientists predict devastation if asteroid Bennu strikes Earth in 2182 The rocky object called Bennu is classified as a near-Earth asteroid, currently making its closest approach to Earth every six years at about 186,000 miles (299,000 km) away.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Chile's celestial crisis: Can dark skies survive development?

Chile's pristine, dark desert skies, world-renowned for astronomy, are at risk of being outshined by urban and industrial development according to astronomers. Angel Otarola, an astronomer and member of the light pollution committee of the Chilean Astronomical Society (SOCHIAS), says light pollution around the state-of-the-art Paranal Observatory is currently about 1% and worries about losing the darkness vital to their studies.

Kremlin replaces Russian space boss after tenure scarred by failed moonshot

The Kremlin dismissed the head of Russia's space agency on Thursday after a tenure of less than three years scarred by the spectacular failure of Russia's first mission to the moon in 47 years. In a statement, the Kremlin said Yuri Borisov, who had headed Roscosmos since July 2022, had been replaced Dmitry Bakanov, a deputy transport minister who ran a satellite company before joining the government.

Scientists predict devastation if asteroid Bennu strikes Earth in 2182

The rocky object called Bennu is classified as a near-Earth asteroid, currently making its closest approach to Earth every six years at about 186,000 miles (299,000 km) away. It might come even closer in the future, with scientists estimating a one-in-2,700 chance of a collision with Earth in September 2182. So what would happen should Bennu strike our planet? Well, it would not be pretty, according to new research based on computer simulations of an impact by an asteroid with a diameter of roughly three-tenths of a mile (500 meters) like Bennu.

Taiwanese microsatellite shows world-class optical capabilities, Japan's ArkEdge says

Japanese startup ArkEdge Space said on Friday an observation satellite it helped build for Taiwan's space agency has captured what could be the world's best-quality Earth imagery from a spacecraft smaller than a suitcase. The small optical observation satellite ONGLAISAT took 2.5-metre resolution images after being released to orbit about 400 km above the Earth in December, the company said.

Kremlin says space agency needs to develop 'dynamically' after firing its boss

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it had named a new head of Russia's space agency to ensure its ability to develop "dymanically" but rejected the suggestion that his fired predecessor had done anything wrong. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no complaints about Yuri Borisov, who was replaced by former satellite company boss Dmitry Bakanov.

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