The space industry plans to launch over 1 million satellites, “A new European Southern Observatory (ESO) study has found that current proposals to launch over 1.7 million satellites into orbit, including extremely bright ones, would have “devastating consequences for astronomy.””
Since space industry development is often disconnected with climate concerns, or even primarily seen as a method to support climate observation, the climate concerns of 1 million satellites are not being sufficiently addressed. The biggest threat to our climate is likely what we don’t know. But surrounding the entire planet in pollution, debris, ash, and toxins from the rapid disposal and replacement plans of the megaconstellation satellite industry, in which enormous amounts of burn waste will stagnant in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, is a forefront climate concern. A reference for this activity is the LeoLabs visualization (select “Debris” to see the full reality). This pollution will eventually reach all air, land, and ocean. Here is an overview of major megaconstellation events so far:
February 2018 – First Starlink satellite prototype launch
June 2024 – One of the first publications showing that satellite pollution will be involved with causing ozone re-depletion (note that this study does not have current up-to-date data)
August 2024 – Starlink satellite debris found to landfall in Canada (there is no evidence of necessary plasma testing by SpaceX to ensure debris will not landfall)
October 2024 – The Federal Communications Commission has approved 12,000 Starlink satellites
October 2025 – 10,000 Starlink satellites launched