Are Starlink’s Satellites Depleting the Ozone?

Satellites like the ones used for Starlink’s internet service could be depleting the Earth’s ozone layer when they’re deorbited, according to a new study funded by NASA and published in Geophysical Research Letters. When Starlink’s satellites reach the end of their lives, they burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere and leave behind small particles of aluminum oxide. These travel down into the ozone layer, which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation. Researchers from the University of Southern California found that these oxides have increased eightfold from 2016 to 2022. Not all of these are from Starlink -- the internet provider didn’t launch its first satellites until May 2019 -- but it currently has the largest fleet by far. Of the roughly 8,100 objects in low Earth orbit, more than 6,000 are Starlink’s. The company currently has permission to launch 12,000 more satellites and has as many as 42,000 planned in the future, according to Space.com. Locating local internet providers These ... Read full article.