What are the environmental impacts of satellites?

With hundreds of thousands of additional satellites proposed, we need to look before we leap and consider the potential harms from satellites to the environment. Otherwise, we might be forced to clean up someone else’s mess, which could have been avoided in the first place.

The Satellite Boom

The past five years have witnessed an unprecedented increase in satellite launches, led by SpaceX. The number of satellites in low Earth orbit has grown by 127 times, with proposals for over 500,000 more satellites in the pipeline. This exponential growth is driven by the race to create mega-constellations for satellite internet services.

Environmental Concerns

Atmospheric Pollution

At peak deployment, it’s estimated that 29 tons of satellites will re-enter our atmosphere daily – equivalent to a Jeep Cherokee worth of metals entering our skies every hour. The composition of these satellites differs from natural sources like meteorites, and the effects of their re-entry are not well understood.

Rocket Launch Emissions

The increased frequency of rocket launches to maintain these mega-constellations is another cause for concern. These launches release soot into the atmosphere equivalent to 7 million diesel dump trucks circling the globe each year. This could potentially affect our climate and ozone layer.

Space Debris and Collisions

With more satellites in orbit, the risk of collisions increases. This could lead to a chain reaction known as Kessler Syndrome, resulting in a dangerous cloud of space debris, potentially making future space missions hazardous or even impossible.

Light Pollution

Astronomers have raised concerns about the impact of these satellites on our view of the night sky. At peak deployment, it’s estimated that one in every 15 stars visible to the naked eye would actually be a moving satellite.

Regulatory Gaps

Despite these potential environmental impacts, there has been no comprehensive environmental review conducted by the federal government. For the history of the space industry, environmental harms haven’t been a serious concern because of the small number of operators, mostly governments and researchers, with few satellites and launches. The low number of satellites and launches were assumed to have minimal impact at a global scale.

With the new space race in full swing, these assumptions no longer hold.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted licenses for over 30,000 satellites to SpaceX alone, without requiring environmental impact studies.

The Global Internet Argument

Proponents of satellite mega-constellations argue that they’re necessary to provide global internet connectivity. However, according to the UN, 95% of the world’s population is already covered by mobile broadband. The main barriers to global connectivity are affordability and skills training, not coverage.

Looking Ahead

As we stand on the brink of a new era in space technology, it’s crucial to consider the environmental implications of our actions. We recommend:

1. Pausing new satellite launches until comprehensive environmental reviews are conducted.
2. Ending the FCC’s environmental categorical exclusion for satellites.

You can help by adding your name to our petition telling the FCC: Satellite constellations need environmental review.

New large-scale technologies require oversight and study. The long term effects of this massive change to our environment aren’t clear. What is clear is that we can bring the world online without the unknown environmental harms of satellite mega-constellations.

We’re in a short window of time when we can prevent making a mess of space and our atmosphere rather than spend decades cleaning it up.

The new space race doesn’t need to create massive space waste.