There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions). But there are far larger objects in space, including spent rocket stages and upwards of 9,000 functioning satellites. More than half of them are SpaceX Starlinks, which provide internet services.
As of publication, there are roughly 5,200 Starlink satellites, but SpaceX has plans to put up upwards of 42,000.
A new study, published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the particles left behind could potentially affect our ozone layer.
And in a study published in October in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists, several scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) examined particles in the stratosphere.
The researchers were surprised to find a variety of vapourized metals in the stratosphere that they linked to satellites and spent rocket boosters.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
If, on a clear night, you were to gaze up into the blackness of the sky, you would expect to see nothing but the magnificent Milky Way stretching out above you, billions of stars twinkling in place.
There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions).
A new study, published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the particles left behind could potentially affect our ozone layer.
“Chemical reactions occurring on the surface of aluminum oxide particle causes ozone depletion,” Joseph Wang, a researcher in astronautics at the University of Southern California and corresponding author of the paper, said in an email.
Looking at the potential of megaconstellations, they estimated that 360 tonnes of aluminum oxide particles could be released annually, a 646 per cent increase above natural atmospheric levels.
“So this is a wake-up call,” said Jose Ferreira, lead author of the study and an aerospace engineer and research fellow at the University of Southern California.
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