The Federal Communications Commission just gave Starlink the green light to vastly expand its mega-constellation of satellites, which could potentially bring millions of Americans faster internet. But the scientists I spoke with are sounding the alarm, saying that 7,500 more satellites in uncharted orbits could have wide-ranging consequences, including negatively affecting Earth's atmosphere.
This approval for the deployment of more Starlink satellites was never really in doubt -- Trump’s FCC has consistently sided with Elon Musk's SpaceX -- even though it was just half the number of satellites the company initially requested.
“I'm pleased to see the FCC didn’t just go, ‘Have as many as you want,’” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who tracks satellite launches. “The FCC is proceeding at least somewhat deliberately, although I still have concerns about the environmental impact of these constellations.”
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The authorization will nearly double the number of Starlink satellites in orbit to 15,000 by 2031, raising familiar distress from scientists about the risk of collisions in an increasingly crowded stratosphere, as well as overreliance on satellite communications.
“This is a lot of satellites, but it's only the beginning,” McDowell said. “They'll ask for more. China will throw a lot up. Other companies and countries will throw stuff up. We're going to pass the 100,000 mark most likely.”
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While there are currently about 40,000 objects in space tracked by space surveillance networks like NASA and the European Space Agency, there are many more that aren’t tracked. The number of objects in space capable of causing “catastrophic damage” is estimated to be over 1.2 million.
“The challenge is not the big objects we keep track of. The challenge is always the sub-10 centimeter objects that we don't keep track of,” Vishnu Reddy, a professor of planetary science at the University of Arizona, told CNET.
FCC applauds order
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