Space collisions could become a bigger risk thanks to greenhouse gas pollution

is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. Greenhouse gas emissions could affect satellite launches in the future, new research suggests. As it builds up, the pollution causes Earth’s upper atmosphere to contract, potentially raising the risk of satellite collisions in orbit. It’s yet another way that fossil fuel emissions are having a tangible impact on things people rely on daily, especially as telecommunication companies launch megaconstellations of satellites into orbit. Space, it turns out, is a finite resource — and it’ll have to be better managed as climate change makes things even more restricted, the study authors contend. “We’ve really reached the end of that era of ‘space is big,’ and I think we should stop saying that,” says William Parker, lead author of the study, which was published today in ... Read full article.