Space collisions could become a bigger risk thanks to greenhouse gas pollution
1 min read
Summary
Greenhouse gas emissions are having an impact on the finite space available in Earth’s orbit, with rising pollution causing the atmosphere to contract and raising the risk of satellite collisions.
This could mean a decline in the number of satellites operators can launch into low Earth orbit in the coming years, impacting services that rely on satellites, such as GPS and weather forecasts.
At the same time, the number of satellites launched – primarily due to the growth of satellite internet services – has skyrocketed, with SpaceX’s Starlink alone planning to launch 42,000 satellites.
Scientists are concerned this could lead to a tipping point where collisions in lower Earth orbit trigger a cascading effect, losing human access to certain parts of space.