RELEASE: ‘WasteX’ report finds environmental harms of satellite internet mega-constellations

ANCHORAGE– The number of satellites in low Earth orbit has increased by 127 times in five years, in large part because of SpaceX. The new space race is ramping up quickly: Companies have proposed adding another 500,000 satellites to the mega-constellations that power the internet. Alaska Environment Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s new report, WasteX: Environmental harms of satellite internet mega-constellations, finds at peak deployment of these disposable satellites, 29 tons of metal will re-enter our atmosphere per day. That’s almost like a Jeep Cherokee falling from space every hour. The report also finds that rocket launches proposed to send more satellites into low Earth orbit would release soot each year equivalent to 7 million diesel dump trucks circling the globe.

“We know it can’t be good, but we don’t know the extent of the environmental harm of launching and burning up so many satellites,” said Lucas Rockett Gutterman, Designed to Last Campaign Director with U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “The federal government hasn’t conducted an environmental review to understand the impacts. We do know that more satellites and more launches lead to more dangerous gasses and metals in our atmosphere.”

The report finds that rocket emissions, space junk and satellite reentry could harm Earth’s atmosphere, environment, people and climate. There were more than 4,600 additional active satellites in 2022 than in 2019, tripling the total orbiting our planet. In 2023, 70% of all satellite launches were for Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX. Large scale technological change to a new ecosystem requires precaution and oversight. Instead, the Federal Communications Commission has granted Starlink more than 30,000 satellite licenses, which are exempt from federal environmental impact studies.

The metals from satellites, as well as soot from increased rocket launches, could affect our climate and ozone. If collisions between satellites increase rapidly, the resulting cloud of orbiting junk could make it dangerous to launch new space missions, effectively trapping us on the planet’s surface in a state known as Kessler Syndrome.

Mega-constellations will also affect how we can appreciate the night sky. The International Astronomical Union has raised urgent concerns on the impact of light pollution from tens of thousands of additional satellites. At peak deployment, one in 15 stars we see would be a satellite, moving throughout the night sky.

Many rural communities in Alaska have begun adopting SpaceX’s Starlink’s satellite internet. The technology became available in late 2022, and within just a few months thousands of residents subscribed. 

“Reliable internet access is incredibly important for rural Alaska, but disposable satellites mega-constellations aren’t the only option,” said Dyani Chapman, State Director with Alaska Environment Research & Policy Center. “It is prudent to investigate and understand the long term consequences of this new space race before committing to an unsustainable choice.”

“We’re in a short window of time when we can prevent making a mess of space and our atmosphere rather than spending decades cleaning it up,” said Gutterman. “The new space race doesn’t need to create massive space waste.”