#spacepollution — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #spacepollution, aggregated by home.social.
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#HopiProphecy mentions "cobwebs in the sky", which has been interpreted as telephone/electrical wires. But doesn't this timelapsed image of all the satellites look more like cobwebs in the sky?
Image credit: Alan Dyer
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Scientists Warn of Emissions Risks from the Surge in #Satellites
With hundreds of satellites launched each year and tens of thousands more planned, scientists are increasingly concerned about an emerging problem: emissions from the fuels burned in launches and from the pollutants released when satellites and rocket stages flame out on reentry.
By Jon Gertner • December 2, 2025
Excerpt: "More recently, however, scientists have become alarmed by two other potential problems: the emissions from #RocketFuels, and the emissions from satellites and #RocketStages that mostly ablate (that is, burn up) on reentry. 'Both of these processes are producing #pollutants that are being injected into just about every layer of the atmosphere,' explains Eloise Marais, an atmospheric scientist at University College London, who compiles emissions data on launches and reentries.
"As Marais told me, it’s crucial to understand that #Starlink ’s satellites, as well as those of other commercial ventures, don’t stay up indefinitely. With a lifetime usefulness of about five years, they are regularly deorbited and replaced by others. The new satellite business thus has a cyclical quality: launch; deploy; deorbit; destroy. And then repeat.
"The cycle suggests we are using Earth’s mesosphere and stratosphere — the layers above the surface-hugging troposphere — as an incinerator dump for space machinery. Or as Jonathan MacDowell puts it: 'We are now in this regime where we are doing something new to the atmosphere that hasn’t been done before.' MacDowell and some of his colleagues seem to agree that we don’t yet understand how — or how much — the reentries and launches will alter the air. As a result, we’re unsure what the impacts may be to Earth’s weather, climate, and (ultimately) its inhabitants."
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#MetalPollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time
Such #pollutants could degrade the ozone layer as #SpaceDebris accumulates and falls to Earth
By Adam Mann, February 25, 2026
Excerpt: "For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of #OrbitalJunk: a #SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the #OzoneLayer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.
"While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, #SpaceX ’s #Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in #LowEarthOrbit . Nearly 10,000 are currently orbiting Earth.
"Each piece of equipment has a planned lifetime of about five years, after which it burns up in the upper atmosphere, releasing metals such as #lithium, #aluminum and #copper, all of which may catalyze chemical reactions that destroy ozone and have other adverse effects. A 2023 study found that about 10 percent of #stratospheric particles contain pollutants from burnt-up #satellites and #RocketStages.
"That motivated a research team to see if they could directly trace such particles to a piece of reentering space debris. On February 19, 2025, the researchers observed a cloud of lithium about 100 kilometers above Germany blowing out of a Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage disintegrating over Ireland and the United Kingdom.
" 'A few hours after the reentry of this rocket, we could see 10 times more lithium than we would have observed otherwise,' says Claudia Stolle, a meteorologist at the Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany."
Read more:
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rocket-reentry-metal-pollution-detected#SpaceDebris #SpacePollution #MetalPollution #LEO #SpaceJunk #RocketLaunches #LithiumPlumes #AirIsLife #EarthsAtmosphere
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China deploys rare type of space junk that pollutes orbit for hundreds of years
Story by Victor Tangermann
9/12/2026Excerpt: "Now, a Chinese reconnaissance satellite is making matters even worse. The country’s #Yaogan50 -02 satellite managed to reach its highly retrograde orbit at an altitude of around 590 miles, circling the Earth at an angle of 141 degrees, against the planet’s rotation — a highly unusual orbit.
"However, as Harvard astronomer and space tracking expert Jonathan McDowell noted on X, the satellite disintegrated months later, resulting in 43 separate pieces of space debris being tracked by the US Space Force at orbits between 372 and 683 miles.
"Thanks to its relatively high altitude, the pieces are likely to stay in orbit for a very, very long time.
" 'The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit,' NASA explains on its website. 'At altitudes of [500 miles], the time for orbital decay is often measured in centuries. Above [621 miles], orbital debris will normally continue circling the Earth for a thousand years or more.' "
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Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh?
#YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO
Munis Raza
Thu, September 3, 2026"York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch.
"Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers.
"Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere."
Read more:
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/york-space-systems-introduces-spacecraft-101300072.html#SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution
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Article referenced in the commentary, from November 2025.
Seeking Profits, Private Companies Look to Light up the Night Sky
Reflect Orbital’s plan to deliver “sunlight on demand” using thousands of giant orbital mirrors is just the latest in a growing list of disruptive commercial activities in space
#ArtificialSunlight #SpaceMirrors
#DarkSkies #SpacePollution #LightPollution #BadIdea #ReflectOrbital #USPol -
Selling the Sun
Commentary by cartoonist #JenSorensen :
"The FCC just approved the test launch of a space mirror-bearing satellite from a company called Reflect Orbital. The plan is to test one mirror this year, and scale up to a 'constellation' of 50,000 by 2035.
For a few years now, the company has been touting the illumination of solar farms at night as the primary reason for the mirrors. Setting aside whether this is feasible or even a priority in a country that is doing its best to undermine solar power, the company is openly promoting other, less noble uses: extending working hours at industrial sites, replacing streetlights in urban areas, and (as I mentioned in the comic) 'unforgettable nighttime experiences.'
For more background on why space mirrors are a bad idea, I recommend this Scientific American article from last year. Interestingly, this is not the first time this concept has been tried. Russia launched a prototype in the 1990s and abandoned the project. "
Source:
https://jensorensen.com/2026/07/15/selling-the-sun/#ArtificialSunlight #SpaceMirrors #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #LightPollution #BadIdea #ReflectOrbital #USPol
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A #SpaceMirror Will Test Turning Night Into Day. What To Know About the Controversial Project
by Jeffrey Kluger, Jul 14, 2026
Excerpt: "The company envisions multiple uses for sun-reflecting satellites: assisting search and rescue operations, allowing construction projects to operate around the clock, charging solar power stations, increasing crop yield. But critics cite all manner of risks. Human and animal #CircadianRhythms could be badly affected if the sun—or a simulacrum of it—never sets. The practice of changing the clocks by a mere hour twice a year is already known to mess with human sleep-wake cycles, after all. Plants could bloom when they shouldn’t and die before their time. Orbital mirrors flashing and winking back to Earth could distract airline pilots. Finally, #LightPollution is already interfering with astronomical observations—a problem made even worse by satellite constellations like #SpaceX’s 10,000-strong #Starlink fleet. #ReflectOrbital’s 50,000 birds would dwarf even that."
Read more:
https://time.com/article/2026/07/14/reflect-orbital-space-mirror-what-to-know/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/P4uaz#NightSkies #ElonSucks
#SpacePollution #SunReflectingSatellites #BadIdeas #SpaceTechBros #SendTechBrosToMars #FCCFail #BrendanCarr #WTF -
Looks like we’re now polluting space with satellites so much that stuff is just washing up on beaches. Great.
Here’s another for your collection
@sundogplanetsHere’s an Australia news story on it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-06/qld-space-agency-identifies-source-of-mysterious-fuel-vessels/106883746
#spacePollution #spaceX #satellite #space -
Creeping closer to #KesslerSyndrome...
#SpaceWeather News, May 19, 2026
PUTTING THE "MEGA" IN MEGACONSTELLATION
"Two months ago, headlines announced a Space Age milestone: #SpaceX now has more than 10,000 active #Starlink satellites circling Earth--two-thirds of all the working satellites in the sky. Analysts were gobsmacked by the pace of change.
Turns out, that's nothing. Back in January, SpaceX had already filed paperwork asking the FCC for permission to launch a million. The proposed #megaconstellation would become a solar-powered #AIDataDenter, requiring hourly rocket launches carrying a million tons of satellites per year."
Source:
https://spaceweather.com/#Madness #TechBros #LowEarthOrbit #DarkSkies #KesslerEffect #Satellites #SpacePollution #LEO
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Analyst on #China’s spent rocket stages: “Things only continue to get worse”
Spent upper stages are the most dangerous kind of #SpaceDebris.
Eric Berger – May 26, 2026
"Further growth is anticipated from both the company’s state-owned enterprises as well as a rapidly expanding number of private launch companies. There is nothing wrong with this, as China’s rapid growth in launch has been mirrored by the United States and, in particular, SpaceX.
"However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets. These are the parts of the vehicle that separate from the first stage of a rocket and push a satellite or spacecraft into orbit."
[...]
" 'China… continues to abandon many rocket bodies in high low-Earth orbit,' Shell wrote on LinkedIn early Monday. 'The total mass of orbital debris is a key variable influencing the long-term sustainment of space. There is broad agreement that abandoning rocket body upper stages in long-lived orbits is not a best practice. In fact, all the major space-faring nations have acknowledged this.' ”
#SpaceJunk #KesslerSyndrome #KesslerEffect #Megaconstellations #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #SpaceX #LowEarthOrbit
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Satellite Swarms Spark Atmospheric Alarms
How do satellite rocket launches affect the atmosphere on May 18 2026? Learn about the impact of soot and the call for new environmental regulations.
#spacepollution, #climatechange, #starlink, #rocketemissions, #environment
https://newsletter.tf/satellite-rocket-soot-atmospheric-impact-2026/
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Rocket soot in the upper atmosphere is 500 times more potent than ground-level pollution. This is a growing concern as satellite counts exceed 15,000.
#spacepollution, #climatechange, #starlink, #rocketemissions, #environment
https://newsletter.tf/satellite-rocket-soot-atmospheric-impact-2026/ -
‘This feels fragile’: how a satellite-smashing chain reaction could spiral out of control
Today, the space around Earth can no longer be considered empty. More than 30,000 objects are in orbit, and that figure is rising exponentially
Frederick O'Brien, Ashley Kirk and Oliver Holmes
Tue 31 Mar 2026 06.15 EDT#KesslerSyndrome #KesslerEffect #SpaceXSucks #SpacePollution #LEO
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Elon Musk's SpaceX may have unwittingly* pioneered our imprisonment on Earth.
>> The big fear is that future collisions will cause a domino effect where Earth’s orbit becomes cluttered with tiny, high-speed bits of metal. That could create a near-impenetrable layer of debris that would make space launches so dangerous it would essentially trap humans on Earth. <<
* See the comment by @teknomagic
#Space #CrowdedSpace #Satellites #Astronomy #SpaceX #ElonMusk #KesslerSyndrome #Environment #SpacePollution
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More reasons to say "No!" to #SpaceX and #Starlink (and other unnecessary satellites!).
SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium
Georgina Rannard, Science reporter, February 19, 2025
Excerpts: "When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our #atmosphere.
"Now scientists are directly linking the uncontrolled rocket re-entry to a plume of #lithium measured less than 100km above Earth.
"It is the first time researchers have drawn a direct link between a known piece of #SpaceDebris crashing to Earth and #pollution levels.
They warn that as SpaceX chief #ElonMusk pledges to launch one million satellites in the coming years, this #contamination could be the tip of the iceberg."
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"Earlier research has suggested that 10% of aerosols in the atmosphere are already contaminated by space debris.
"SpaceX has not responded to emailed requests from BBC News for comment. The researchers also sent their findings to the company but did not receive a response.
"Almost 30,000 pieces of debris are calculated to be free-floating in space, created when rockets break up in space or satellites disintegrate.
"Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.
"Musk's SpaceX is the world's leading company for rocket launches including for sending humans into space and maintaining a network of 10,000 Starlink internet satellites.
"Musk recently announced he has applied to launch one million satellites to support #ArtificialIntelligence (#AI) data centres in space.
"Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets."
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd8z4eqlxno#LithiumPollution #AtmosphericPollution #NoAIInSpace #NoDatacentersInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect #SpaceJunk #DarkSkies #LowerEarthOrbit #LEO #AIBullshitMachines #TechBros #xAI #Technopoly #SpacePollution
#AISucks #DataCenters #SkyNet #KesslerSyndrome #USPol #WorldPol #SpaceNews -
This #SpaceX Situation: Not Good!
by Jason Koebler, Feb 5, 2026
Excerpt: "There are many reasons that 'AI data centers in space' may be a pipe dream and may not happen, but what he is proposing is a magnitude of #SpaceJunk that no other company could plausibly promise to launch. Data centers or not, SpaceX is now dominating #LowEarthOrbit in a way no other company or country has. While Musk has been gutting the federal government, interfering in #elections, allowing people to generate #CSAM, engaging in white supremacy, planning trips to #EpsteinsIsland, implanting #chips into people’s brains, siphoning off taxpayer money to build ridiculous tunnels, giving his sperm to whoever will take it, turning his cars into experimental robot taxis, and pretending to build #HumanoidRobots, #SpaceX has somewhat (?) quietly #colonized and dominated low earth orbit.
"Musk has taken this space for his own use, concerns about #LightPollution, satellite collisions, and telecom #monopolies be damned. This has always been concerning, but explicitly intertwining the aspirations and fate of SpaceX with Musk’s CSAM generating social media website, his #AIBullshitMachines, and his right wing political project is horrifying and monopolistic. What happens next, I have no idea."
Read more:
https://www.404media.co/this-spacex-situation-not-goodArchived version:
https://archive.ph/vUubi#TechBros #Technopoly #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #AISucks #DataCenters #SkyNet #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrome #USPol #WorldPol #SpaceNews #EpsteinFiles
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#SpaceX acquires #xAI, plans to launch a massive #SatelliteConstellation to power it
“This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission.”
Eric Berger – Feb 2, 2026
"SpaceX has formally acquired another one of Elon Musk’s companies, xAi, the space company announced on Monday afternoon.
“SpaceX has acquired xAI to form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform,' the company said. 'This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!' [How much Special-K did you take, dude?]
"The merging of what is arguably Musk’s most successful company, SpaceX, with the more speculative xAI venture is a risk. Founded in 2023, xAI’s main products are the generative AI chatbot Grok and the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. The company aims to compete with OpenAI and other artificial intelligence firms. However, Grok has been controversial, including the sexualization of women and children through AI-generated images, as has Musk’s management of Twitter."
#USPol #WorldPol #ElonSucks #SkyNet #AISucks #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #SatellitePollution #LowEarthOrbit #KesslerEffect #KesslerSyndrom
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#SpaceX gets #FCC approval to launch 7,500 more #Starlink #satellites😱
by Anthony Ha
Sat, January 10, 2026Excerpt: "The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday that it has given SpaceX approval to launch another 7,500 of its second-generation Starlink satellites, for a total of 15,000 satellites worldwide.
"Beyond simply allowing SpaceX to launch more satellites and expand its high-speed internet coverage, the FCC says its decision also means Starlink satellites can operate across five frequencies to provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States, along with supplemental coverage in the U.S.
"Reuters reports that SpaceX had requested approval for an additional 15,000 satellites, but the FCC said it would 'defer authorization of the remaining 14,988 proposed Gen2 Starlink satellites.'
"SpaceX must launch 50% of the approved Starlink satellites by December 1, 2028, and the remaining 50% by December 2031, the FCC says."
Read more:
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/spacex-gets-fcc-approval-launch-221121996.html#KesslerSyndrome #SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
#DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution -
This will guarantee #KesslerSyndrome sooner than later!😱
As #SpaceX Works Toward 50K #Starlink Satellites, #China Eyes Deploying 200K
China's Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological Innovation submits filings for two constellations, each of which could support 96,714 satellites, for a total of 193,428.
Michael Kan, January 12, 2026
Excerpt: "To counter China, the FCC has been expediting and streamlining its satellite approvals. This includes clearing SpaceX to operate another 7,500 satellites for its second-generation constellation. The regulator has also approved plans to operate Starlink satellites at lower orbits, from 340km to 485km. Currently, Starlink has over 9,400 orbiting satellites."
#SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
#DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution -
Well, I think this is a hyperbole -- there will still be coax (axe/coax?) and fiber and good ol' landlines. Of course, #ElonMusk is trying to cut subsidies to those projects to divert money to #Starlink access!
#KesslerSyndrome: Space debris may create a future with no internet, TV, or mobile phone
By Quamrul Haider, 19 January 2025
Excerpt: "If, indeed, satellites collide or go offline because of overcrowded LEO, critical services like internet, navigation (GPS), weather forecasts, cell phones, television and other space-based technologies could fail. Needless to say, this will cause widespread disruption to modern life. Imagine life without social media!"
#KesslerEffect #Starlink #LEO #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution
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Humans aren't just polluting the Earth, now we’re cluttering outer space too. Pretty sure we'd be fine without this many commercial satellites. Well done, humanity! #NASA #SpacePollution #Astronomy #Environment
Satellite boom is a 'growing t... -
That generated image is so messed up. That's not how orbits work.
I also twitch every time a Star Trek vessel takes up a "geosynchronous orbit" over some arbitrary location on a planet.
#StarTrek #SpaceJunk
https://mas.to/@dmacphee/115418055122136038
[email protected] - You have got to be kidding me.
No bloody way.
#Canada #Space #SpacePollution #NightSky
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/reflect-orbital-space-mirror-9.6947427 -
@sundogplanets Some scary and not very well-thought through shit (what is is new from TechBros).
#ReflectOrbital #DarkSkies #MirrorSatellites #SpaceJunk #SpacePollution #LightPollution
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Will #Musk’s #Starlink satellites lead to #KesslerSyndrome?
#SpaceWeather poses a tremendous threat to all satellites, knocking all computer systems offline. Is that a recipe for Kessler syndrome?
"Over the past 4 years, the number of active satellites in #LowEarthOrbit have increased by several thousand, with tens of thousands more planned in the coming years. The ultimate nightmare is that we’ll experience Kessler syndrome: where a runaway chain reaction of collisions litters low-Earth orbit with millions of pieces of debris, making new launches all but impossible. Currently, Starlink satellites avoid collisions through on-board #AI software that tells them how to move. If that software gets knocked offline, such as by space weather, we have no protections against this catastrophe."
Read more:
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/musk-starlink-satellites-kessler-syndrome/#KesslerEffect #StarlinkSatellites #DarkSkies #SpacePollution #LEO #Grounded
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A short poem I wrote not too long ago...
"Starlink so bright,
Now we don't see stars at night."#DarkSkies #StarlinkSatellites #SpacePollution #LightPollution #WorldPoetryDay
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States demand fiber
Starlink wants billions in grants, but state governments aren’t cooperatingDespite Trump's backing, states aren't giving Starlink the money it demanded.
Jon Brodkin – Aug 21, 2025"Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told states to 'take a tech-neutral approach' when evaluating Internet providers and to 'provide Internet access for the lowest cost.' The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is part of the Commerce Department, revised the program rules in a way that made it harder for states to justify spending on fiber networks, despite fiber's clear advantage over satellite in speed and capacity."
#ElonSucks #SpaceX #Starlink #StarlinkSatellites #SpacePollution #LightPollution #DarkSkies #FiberOptic #Fiber
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#SpaceX wants all the money
SpaceX says states should dump #fiber plans, give all grant money to #Starlink
SpaceX seeks more cash, calls fiber "wasteful and unnecessary taxpayer spending."
Jon Brodkin – Aug 19, 2025
"While subsidizing fiber deployment is more expensive, fiber offers faster speeds and doesn't have the capacity problems inherent in satellite networks."
#ElonSucks #Greed #GreedyTechBros #LEO #LowEarthOrbit #SpacePollution #LightPollution #Reliability #FiberOptic