[imagesource:flickr]

A new study from the University of Southern California published last week found that Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink satellites could be hurting the Earth’s ozone layer.

There are currently more than 8,000 internet satellites in low-earth orbit, of which about 6,000 are Starlink ones, all of which are made with large amounts of aluminium and designed to deorbit and burn up in the atmosphere at the end of their service life, somewhere between five and seven years long.

Researchers estimated the potential damage caused by the low-earth orbit internet satellites burning up in the atmosphere and releasing aluminium oxides. With its expanding artificial constellation, SpaceX could emit over 1,000 tons of aluminium oxide annually, representing a 646% increase compared to natural levels.

The study, published last week in the peer-reviewed Geophysical Research Letters journal, per BusinessInsider, found that the presence of the oxides increased roughly eightfold between 2016 and 2022, and could surge far more with current satellite launch plans.

SpaceX plans to double the number of satellites with aspirations of having seven times the current total in orbit. Yes, 42,000 satellites in orbit. Meanwhile, other companies, including Amazon, have plans to launch thousands more of their own, the study’s authors said.

The worst part is that the oxides aren’t consumed by the action, so the effect could last for decades as the particles drift down.

In 2022, 18.7 tons of aluminum oxide nanoparticles were released into the atmosphere by falling satellites, they said.

Looking ahead to planned satellite launches, this could increase to as much as 397 tons a year and could lead to “significant ozone depletion,” according to the study.

The ozone is already struggling from the pressure of human progress. In 2023, observers at the European Space Agency noted that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica was roughly three times the size of Brazil and was “one of the biggest on record.”

You might recall from the ’80s and ’90s how crucial the ozone layer is for our survival. It absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The EPA warns that too much UV radiation can drastically lower crop yields, mess up the marine food chain, cause skin cancer, and weaken our immune system.

While SpaceX has assured the FAA that people won’t get hit by falling satellite debris, it’s potentially paving the way for an environmental disaster that could threaten humanity’s existence.

Maybe that’s Elon’s grand plan in order to move to Mars.

[source:businessinsider]