Satellite-Generated Atmospheric Pollution to Skyrocket

The U.S. is unprepared to handle the huge pollution footprint flowing from the imminent launch of tens of thousands of commercial communications satellites into low-Earth orbit, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Yet, when needed most, the scientific entities tracking these impacts are on the chopping block.

Led by corporations such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, the current 8,100 telecom satellites in orbit are about to proliferate at an estimated rate of 10,000 new satellites a year. By 2040, some 60,000 satellites are projected to be arrayed in mega-constellations across the stratosphere.

The environmental impact of the tens of thousands of satellite launches and reentries is not fully understood, but early indications are that they could be significant enough to alter stratospheric temperatures and ozone coverage. A big portion of that impact comes from the discharge of metals, such as aluminum, lithium, and copper, into the atmosphere due to –

• Old satellites burning upon reentry into our atmosphere, with the projected five-year life of each satellite ensuring a heavy shower of metal particles steadily descending to Earth;
• Discharge of liquified natural gas fuel to power satellite launches and chemical propellants accelerants to reposition to avoid collisions; and
• Collisions, as armadas of satellites from different companies and countries reach orbit. As many as 150,000 near-collisions now occur each year, a number likely to multiply.

“The sheer volume of atmospheric pollution from this satellite revolution is not on our national radar,” stated PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse, a former senior enforcement attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, noting that control of atmospheric pollution is not even part of the licensing process. “The need for inter-agency and international cooperation in addressing these space impacts is becoming urgent, just as the U.S. has begun to retreat dramatically from climate science and global eco-coordination.”

Musk’s Starlink and SpaceX are poised to benefit most from this expansion, with Starlink owning roughly three-quarters of satellites now in orbit and roughly half of slated launches via SpaceX rockets in the coming decade. In response to concerns raised by scientists, PEER has been trying to trace Musk’s actions through his Department of Government Efficiency on the federal agencies dealing with commercial space operations, principally NASA, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation. All three agencies are now slated for major cutbacks.

“A huge and expanding chemistry experiment is taking place in our atmosphere while we fire the scientists needed to monitor it,” Whitehouse added. “Unfortunately, and unbelievably, the person best positioned to profit from lax satellite regulation has been put in charge of dismantling the oversight agencies and eliminating their scientific capacity.”

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Review NOAA’s projections for future satellite debris

See intense Musk/DOGE involvement with space-related offices

Look at PEER’s request for records on cutbacks in stratospheric monitoring
NASA FOIA
NOAA FOIA
NSF FOIA