@space-environment
The Center for Space Environmentalism (CSE) increases awareness and understanding of space environmentalism issues and helps stakeholders make better decisions about them by pursuing research, education, outreach and advocacy. spaceenvironmentalism.org
CSE has submitted public comments to the U.S. FCC on two pending applications relating to the #SpaceEnvironment:
(1) Reflect Orbital's prototype satellite; www.spaceenvironmentalism.org/actions/publ...
(2) SpaceX's "1M orbital data centers" proposal; www.spaceenvironmentalism.org/actions/publ...
"Constant space launches are turning the atmosphere into a 'crematorium' for satellites and other space debris. That was the warning from a trio of astronomers and atmospheric scientists in a new essay for The Conversation."
futurism.com/space/space-...
#SpaceEnvironment #SpaceDebris #Pollution
"Elon Musk's space technology company, SpaceX, recently asked the U.S. government for permission to launch 1 million satellites. ... These proposals have drawn scorn from critics who say orbital data centers would be too costly and technologically out of reach."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/c...
"Access to the night sky is a crucial part of our scientific, religious, and cultural practices across the globe. Right now, one government agency has the power to completely alter the night sky as we know it."
astrobites.org/2026/02/26/r...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment #SpaceX #DataCenters
"Two little-noted applications under review by the Federal Communications Commission would, if fully implemented, fundamentally remake the night sky. But the FCC, the satellite regulator, appears to have fast-tracked approval without much of a pause."
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
"The FCC is looking at two proposals that could massively affect the night sky. One is mirrors in space that would reflect sunlight on demand during the night. The other is an unprecedented request for a 1-million-satellite megaconstellation."
www.iflscience.com/elon-musk-wa...
CSE's own Prof. Samantha Lawler (University of Regina) has a new article in @theconversation.com in which she argues that the rapid expansion of satellite megaconstellations poses a catastrophic threat to Earth's orbit and the cultural heritage of the night sky.
theconversation.com/too-many-sat...
"International agreements covering rocket pollution include the Outer Space Treaty and Liability Convention... require countries to avoid harmful contamination and to accept responsibility for damage caused by their space objects."
insideclimatenews.org/news/1902202...
#SpaceEnvironment
"This finding supports growing concerns that space traffic may pollute the upper atmosphere in ways not yet fully understood."
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
#SpaceEnvironment #Atmosphere #Pollution
"@esa.int is already making use of laser technology to detect and monitor #SpaceDebris. But what if we could also use laser technology to actually prevent collisions?"
www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed...
(We note how the answer always seems to be "more tech", not "less pollution".)
#SpaceEnvironment
"This study reveals that LEO satellite internet systems are more carbon-intensive (0.1–0.5 kg CO₂e/GB) than terrestrial fibre (0.05–0.20 kg CO₂e/GB) due primarily to emissions from launch processes and operations."
doi.org/10.1080/1758...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment
"For decades, space safety rules assumed satellite reentries would stay rare. By early 2026, with over 70,000 megaconstellation spacecraft planned, that assumption has collapsed."
indiandefencereview.com/starlink-sat...
#Space #Satellites #SpaceEnvironment
"A new study looks into eleven different megaconstellations and what would happen during their fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere. They find that there's a 40% collective risk of on-ground casualties if satellites do not burn up entirely."
www.space.com/space-explor...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment
AST SpaceMobile announced "'the largest commercial communications array antenna ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit'."
www.pcmag.com/news/ast-spa...
The massive size of this antenna also makes it a large target for space debris.
#Space #Satellites
"A new study published in Nature finds that reflections from large satellite constellations could interfere with most images taken by some current and future space observatories."
www.discovermagazine.com/satellite-me...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment #Astronomy
That's a great question. We are not sure yet, namely because little about it is known outside of China (at least to civilian authorities). It seems to be something that could adapt to general ASAT activities.
"A race to secure regulatory approval for data centers in space is emerging, with a US startup called Starcloud submitting a proposal to the FCC for a constellation of up to 88,000 satellites." (via @pcmag.com)
www.pcmag.com/news/data-ce...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment #SpaceDebris
"Chinese scientists have developed a compact ultra-powerful energy generator, paving the way for next-generation weapons that could one day be turned on satellite swarms like SpaceX’s Starlink constellation."
www.the-independent.com/tech/china-s...
#SpaceEnvironment #SpaceWarfare #SpaceDebris
"We are only a month into 2026, yet it’s already clear what one of the major space stories of the year is going to be: mega-constellations, and the ongoing attempts to launch thousands of satellites into Earth’s orbit."
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
#SpaceEnvironment
"We are slowly, but steadily, losing our night skies. Not content to pollute our planet’s natural environments, private corporations and governments have their sights set on choking the skies with more and more satellites."
www.saltwire.com/newfoundland...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment
"A report filed by SpaceX with the FCC in late December reveals some startling information – including that its Starlink satellites had to perform about 300,000 collision-avoidance manoeuvres in 2025." (via @newscientist.com)
www.newscientist.com/article/2512...
"SpaceX is requesting to launch up to 1 million satellites to create a network of orbiting data centers around Earth. The plan is shocking in its scope, and would dwarf the existing Starlink constellation, which currently spans over 9,600 satellites in Earth’s orbit."
www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-...
"Mobile networks have now been asked to check that their emergency alert system is operational, in case the debris crashes in Britain and a message needs to be sent to people living near to the impact site."
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01...
#Space #SpaceEnvironment #SpaceDebris
"Even without any major collisions in orbit, WEF’s orbital population model projects that congestion in space will cost industry between $25.8B and $42.3B over the next decade. A destructive collision would send that number skyrocketing."
payloadspace.com/wefs-space-d...
"In the last few years, the number of satellite launches has increased by an order of magnitude. The pace of both launching & retiring these units is creating new kinds of pollution, potentially upsetting the climate system & the protective ozone layer."
salatainstitute.harvard.edu/burning-sate...
“Up to $42 billion of economic losses could be caused by space debris by 2035, according to a paper published by the Centre for Space Futures in collaboration with the World Economic Forum during Monday’s conference.”
www.arabnews.com/node/2630678/
#SpaceDebris #SpaceEnvironment
We have published our Manifesto, a document that lays out the rationale for the existence of CSE, summarizes our vision for humanity's future in space, and calls people, governments and private actors everywhere to take action to realize that future.
Read the document here: doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
"China has applied to launch nearly 200,000 satellites into Earth orbit, but the move may be an attempt at merely reserving orbital space rather than a genuine effort to build the largest mega-constellation in existence."
www.newscientist.com/article/2511...
That's correct, although they say it is a deliberate choice so as to more easily bring down defunct objects on a faster timescale than when they are up in the nominal 550-km orbits.
"SpaceX's plan to launch an additional 15,000 satellites for its Starlink cellular system has sparked opposition and concern from rival companies and environmentalists, who are weighing in after the FCC opened a public comment period on the proposed constellation."
www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-...