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#spacepollution — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #spacepollution, aggregated by home.social.

  1. 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:
    time.com/article/2026/07/14/re

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/P4uaz

    #NightSkies #ElonSucks
    #SpacePollution #SunReflectingSatellites #BadIdeas #SpaceTechBros #SendTechBrosToMars #FCCFail #BrendanCarr #WTF

  2. #SpaceX gets #FCC approval to launch 7,500 more #Starlink #satellites😱

    by Anthony Ha
    Sat, January 10, 2026

    Excerpt: "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:
    tech.yahoo.com/science/article

    #KesslerSyndrome #SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution

  3. 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."

    Read more:
    pcmag.com/news/as-spacex-works

    #SpaceDebris #KesslerEffect #LEO
    #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution

  4. 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!"

    Read more:
    thedailystar.net/opinion/views

    #KesslerEffect #Starlink #LEO #DarkSkies #Satellites #SpaceTrash #Landlines #SpacePollution