4 threats posed by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites
Astronomers want their sky back
Causing collision threats
SpaceX recently fired the 2,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.
The vast number of these devices has raised concerns of collisions with other objects inspace.
The issue caused uproar in China after theTiangongspace stationreportedly had two near missesinvolving the satellites.
“For safety reasons, the China Space Station implemented preventive collision avoidance control,” Beijing said in a document submitted to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs.
These concerns have been echoed by other organizations.
In August 2021, a leading space debris experttold Space.comthat Starlink satellites are involved in about 50% of close encounters between two spacecraft.
Muskhas rebuffed claimsthat the satellites are taking up too much space.
Screwing up the climate
Starlink has already created significant light pollution. Scientists also fear that the satellites will add space junk and chemicals to the atmosphere.
The megaconstellations could change the chemistry of the upper atmosphere. Another issue involves the burning of aluminum from dead satellites.
Scientiststold Space.com last Junethat this could have unexplored side effects on the ozone layer.
Spoiling the night sky
SpaceX now ownsmore than halfof all active satellitesorbiting the Earth are SpaceX satellites.
The high reflectivity of these devices is filling the sky with artificial light.
According tosimulations from a team of Canadian astrophysicistsone in 15 sources of light visible in the night sky will soon be satellites.
SpaceX has worked to reduce satellite reflectivity, but astronomers say it remains too bright.
In the near future, theremay be no point on Earthfrom which we can stare at the naked night sky.
Interfering with astronomy
Starlink isn’t only ruining views for the public. Astronomers fear that the satellites could make it harder to spot asteroids near Earth.
One of their concerns is the sheer number of devices. Another involves the light streaks they produce, which can disrupt observations taken by telescopes.
According toa new study, this glare appears in around a fifth of the images captured by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which uses the pictures to spot asteroids. This disruption will only increase as the number of SpaceX satellites increases.
The issue hasheightened callsfor aspace-based asteroid-detecting telescope.
Elon may befocused on colonizing Mars, but his projects in space are causing concerns on Earth.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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