According to the Federal Communication Commission on Tuesday, 472 starlinks were burned in a satellite environment between December 2024 and May 2025, as Space X hit about 6 % of its active fleet.
The star link satellite has been set for almost five years. After that, they are operated in the land environment to burn. Space X, a rocket company owned by Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk, launched the first satellite of the Star Link link in 2019, which means that we are now watching its first full -scale diversboting. In the United States, more than 1.4 million home star links use internet service, and in many rural areas, this technology has been an absolute game changer.
But scientists have raised concerns about the uncertain consequences that come up with such an unprecedented increase in the number of satellites in the sky. Of the nearly 10,000 active items in the orbit of the lower earth, 1,200 miles from the ground level or more than -7,750 belongs to the star link, according to data collected by a astronomer Jonathan McDole, which detects satellite launches.
SpaceX submitted voluntary reports to the FCC twice a year on the state of its satellite tower. In the December check -in, only 73 satellites were divided in the last six months. This massive increase can have serious effects on the ground here.
Scientists find metals faster by spacecraft in Stratosfire, and on rare occasions, space debris has also made it on Earth. Space X last summer (PDF) revealed that a 5.5 pound piece of aluminum from the Star Link satellite was found on a farm in the Canadian city of Saskichovan.
“As usual, humanity is experiencing a new experience with our environment,” McDewell told CNET. We are doing something that nature has not done before. ”
Space X insists that the Dorebetting process is safe, with the risk of human accident (PDF) for its current V2 satellite “less than 1 in 100 million”.
“Space X -Satellite exceeds the industry standards for satellite derivatives, with no calculations for life on Earth, as well as satellites in the uninhabited parts of the world,” says SpaceX’s filing.
Representatives of SpaceX did not immediately respond to the comment request.
Scientists of climate are worried about burning satellites
With the first satellite of the Star Link, a significant number of stringing begins recently, when we talk about mapping of climate effects, we are still in an unmarried area.
According to Space.com, Space X is already allowed to launch 12,000 satellites from the FCC and has a maximum of 42,000 plans in the future.
NASA was funded by NASA and a study published in the Geo Physical Research Latches in June last year, adding that a 550 pound satellite releases about 66 pounds of aluminum oxide nanoterals when it burns in the environment. These Nano Particles have increased eight times from 2016 to 2022, and the current star link satellite weighs 1,760 pounds.
Separate samples taken by the National Maritime and Environmental Administration have found “aluminum and foreign metals” in 10 % of the debris in the Stratosfire. He predicted that these figures could increase by 50 % “based on the number of satellite launched in the orbit of the lower ground.” But what effect will these metals have an open question.
“My impression of talking to different groups that is doing such research is that if you have to bet, you will bet that research will come to the fore, saying that we are still causing at least a major problem that will cause a major problem.”
However, it is sufficient that a group of scientists wrote an open letter to the FCC (PDF) in October last year asking for new satellite launches due to “harmful gases and metals” in our environment.
At present, there are more than 12,000 active satellites in orbit, of which 7,751 belong to the star link. But we are probably only at the beginning of the satellite race – the 2020 article published in nature predicts that 100,000 satellites in the sky by 2030 are “not only possible but quite likely.”
“This is a part of this big story about how space activity has increased to such an extent that we are affecting the environment we have not previously done,” said McDell. “We’re at a stage where many things that were just completely accurate to ignore and go, ‘too small to worry’ – now they are so big that we need to look at them.”
