Jonathan McDowell, who worked at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics for 37 years, expressed concerns about Starlink satellites, which are currently deorbiting at a rate of one or two satellites every day. These fears increase as thousands of satellites continue to be launched into space.

McDowell warned that damaging the stratosphere, especially the ozone layer in it, may allow greater amounts of harmful ultraviolet rays to reach the Earth’s surface, leading to increased rates of skin cancer, cataracts, and other eye damage in humans.

The scientist revealed that there are more than 25,000 pieces of orbital debris currently orbiting our planet, noting that this space debris consists of disabled satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments of collisions.

In a related context, data indicated that about 8,000 satellites belonging to SpaceX, owned by Musk, are currently operating in orbit, with expectations that more will be launched by the company itself in addition to other companies and countries.

According to the Space Flight Now website, SpaceX alone has launched more than 2,000 satellites into orbit this year alone.

The US Federal Aviation Administration warned Musk in 2023 that his satellites could cause serious human injuries or deaths by 2035. A report issued by the administration predicted that about 28,000 dangerous pieces of satellites emerging from orbit may survive returning to the atmosphere during the next few years.

In response to these warnings, Musk called the analysis in a letter to the FAA and Congress “unreasonable, unwarranted, and inaccurate.”

“SpaceX” emphasized in its letter that “its satellites are designed and manufactured to completely decompose while returning to the atmosphere upon disposal at the end of their lifespan, and they do so.”

But the company was forced to admit in February this year that not all moons completely disintegrate in the atmosphere upon returning to Earth.

With the continued expansion of satellite deployment, McDowell expects daily returns to the atmosphere to reach five operations per day in the coming years, given that the lifespan of satellites in low orbit is only between five and seven years.

He warned the world Theoretical “Kessler Syndrome” scenariowhich is a chain reaction of collisions in space that leads to the generation of huge amounts of space debris. He explained, “If only 1% of Starlink satellites malfunction, there will still be 300 malfunctioning satellites, and this amount is sufficient to cause Kessler syndrome in low Earth orbit.”

And besides Space debris concernsScientists warn of the unstudied environmental effects of satellites burning up in the atmosphere.

A study by Daniel Murphy, an atmospheric chemist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and his colleagues revealed that burning satellites release metal vapors that condense into aerosol particles that reach the stratosphere. The study found that about 10% of sulfuric acid particles in the stratosphere actually contain metals such as aluminum, lithium and copper from fallen moons.

The study warned that the planned increase in the number of satellites may raise this percentage to 50%, with potential effects on the ozone layer. Metals such as aluminum can react with other chemical compounds, releasing chlorine, which destroys ozone.

Experts called for adopting more sustainable strategies for space exploration, such as refueling, repair and recycling.

Source: Daily Mail