https://www.popsci.com/science/space-junk-satellites/
"Elon Musk’s SpaceX and its competitors are making reliable, and decently-fast
satellite internet services a reality thanks to a growing armada of shimmering
satellites orbiting overhead. Through its constellation of over 6,000,
500-pound satellites, SpaceX’s Starlink internet service already reportedly
provides broadband to around three million global users, some in remote
locations underserved by traditional internet providers. But what happens when
all those aging satellites no longer serve their purpose?
A new report from environmentally-focused advocacy group PIRG warns the current
approach to decommissioning old satellites, which usually involves having them
burn to a crisp when re-entering the atmosphere, lacks meaningful rules and
regulation. That absence of oversight, they say, could lead to an increase in
dangerous space junk affecting Earth, especially as competing satellite
internet companies rush to build out and launch tens of thousands of new
satellites into orbit. PIRG estimates SpaceX alone will have 29 tons of old
material reentering Earth’s atmosphere every day if it is able to achieve its
desired satellite constellation. The organization estimates that comes out to
roughly the weight of one Jeep Cherokee coming back down from space every hour.
As of now, nobody really seems to have a firm grasp on the long-term
consequence of all that fiery garbage.
“There’s too much that is unknown about the extent of environmental effects of
rocket emissions, space junk, and satellite reentry on our atmosphere, Earth,
and climate given the huge number of proposed satellites,” PIRG writes in its
report. “With the scale of proposed satellite mega-constellations, and their
disposability that requires constant replenishment, we can’t look away from the
environmental harms of the space industry because we assume they’re science
fiction. The science-reality of environmental harms is coming fast.”"
Via Girl Of The Sea.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
