Starlink Plans to Send 42K Satellites Into Space. That Could Be Bad News for the Ozone
Satellites and those used for Starlink Internet service could exhaust the ozone layer of the earth when they are offset, according to a study funded by NASA and published in Geophysical Research Letters in June. 2024.
When Starlink’s satellites reach the end of their lives, they burn in the earth’s atmosphere and leave behind small particles of aluminum oxide. These descends into the ozone layer, which absorbs the harmful ultraviolet radiation. Researchers from the University of South California found that these oxides increased from eight from 2016 to 2022.
All these elements are not caused by Starlink – the Internet supplier did not launch its first satellites before May 2019 – but it currently has the largest fleet. Of the approximately 10,000 active objects in low terrestrial orbit, more than 7,750 belong to Starlink, according to data collected by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who follows the satellite launches. The company is currently permission to launch 12,000 additional satellites and up to 42,000 planned in the future, according to Space.com.
These satellites are designed to last approximately five years. A satellite of 550 pounds will release approximately 66 pounds of aluminum oxide nanoparticles during the start of the school year. Starlink satellites have become heavier over time, the latest version weighing approximately 2,760 pounds.
Aluminum will be mainly released between 30 and 50 miles above the surface of the earth, but will then derive towards the ozone layer, which would take around 30 years. We already see these effects – the satellites burning in 2022 have caused a 29.5% increase in aluminum in the higher atmosphere – but the researchers said that it would only get worse.
“This is mainly a concern for the launch of the large number of satellites in the future,” said Joseph Wang, one of the study authors, in Cnet. “We have projected an annual excess of more than 640% compared to the natural level. On the basis of this projection, we are very worried.”
Unlike other substances that exhaust ozone, aluminum oxide particles are not consumed in the process, researchers said. They continue to harm the ozone layer until they naturally descend to lower altitudes, which could take about 30 years.
If Starlink increases the hope, more than 8,000 satellites could burn in the atmosphere each year. The researchers applied a forecast model to take into account the growing number of satellites in the sky and found that the amount of aluminum could reach 360 metric tonnes – or 640% above natural levels.
Starlink led an exponential growth of satellites in the sky
What is perhaps the most alarming in this new research is how much unexplored territory is. “The environmental impacts of the start of the school year of satellites are currently misunderstood,” said the study.
During the four years that Starlink has launched satellites, it represents 40% of all satellites Never Launched, and it plans to increase its fleet seven times. The main competitor of Starlink, the Amazon project, Kuiper, plans to launch 3,232 satellites In the years to come.
An article published in Nature has determined that 100,000 satellites in the sky “is not only feasible but very likely”. This is almost entirely due to private companies such as SpaceX, Amazon and Oneweb that launch satellites to provide broadband internet.
According to EPA, excessive UV radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts and weakened immune systems, as well as a reduction in the yield of crops and disturbances in the marine food chain.
“As reintegration rates increase, it is crucial to further explore the concerns highlighted in this study,” according to researchers.
Starlink did not respond to the request for CNET comments.
