A decade from space: 13 images that show natural, technological and political changes on Earth
Maxar Tech, satellite imagery company, released images of some of the biggest events of the decade.
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A six-minute-long earthquake in 2011 in Japan created havoc in the country by triggering a tsunami. This, in turn, caused a nuclear accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant when it affected the plant’s cooling systems. The effects of this incident are still felt to this day. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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The commercial space industry exploded this decade with private aerospace companies witnessing a flood of investments, public interest, and successful launches. Here, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch vehicle carried Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster into space, in 2018. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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Iran conducted more than a dozen ballistic missile tests this decade despite being barred from doing so by the UN in 2010. According to an agreement signed in 2015, the country also agreed to reduce its nuclear facilities and allow international monitoring in exchange for sanctions. This image shows the aftermath of a failed rocket launch at Imam Khomeini Space Center in August 2019. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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North Korea conducted a series of nuclear and ballistic tests. In 2018, the country was told to dismantle the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, a rocket launching site, by the UN. They agreed. But in 2019, the country announced that the site was active again and they will continue the launches. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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Tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, etc bloomed this decade. The Hewlett Packard campus was demolished to make room for the construction of 2.8 million square feet of new office space in Apple Park. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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The Camp Fire in Paradise Pines, California was the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history. It burnt nearly 14,000 homes and killed 85 people. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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An explosion on a BP rig caused the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the largest marine oil spill in history with more than three million barrels of oil released in the Gulf over 87 days. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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Climate change is causing an increase in temperatures all over the world and the glaciers and ice fields are bearing the brunt. As more ice melts, the sea levels are rising which has adverse effects on coastal cities. Here, a large piece of ice from the Petermann Glacier in Greenland that broke off in 2012 and floated off to sea. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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Hurricane season hit us hard this decade and many countries around the world were severely affected. Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean islands with a category 5 storm. Here, Anse Marcelis, a beach in the Carribean islands, was completely devastated with broken houses and torn roofs. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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China has been following an aggressive expansion policy. Here, the Fiery Cross Reef, a coral reef, that the country occupied, reclaimed and militarized after they were asked to build a Marine observation station by UNESCO. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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The Arab Spring was a political movement that spread in the Islamic states from 2010. The people demanded freedom from their autocratic leaders, better economic conditions and human rights. Here, thousands of people had gathered in Tahrir Square, Egypt to protest the government’s brutality and oppressiveness. Their protests lead to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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A terrorist group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) rose up after the Arab spring. Their claim to fame was the horrifying beheading and other torture videos that spread through social media. They had captured the city of Mosul, Iraq and one can see the devastation they left behind in the form of broken and burnt buildings. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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The Rohingyas are a Muslim ethnicity that was targeted by the Myanmar military in a mass ethnic cleansing movement. They fled the persecution and now live as refugees in the Kutapalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. Image credit: Maxar Technology Inc
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