https://www.space.com/how-many-satellites-fit-safely-earth-orbit
'Just 10 years ago, a mere thousand or so operational satellites may have
orbited our planet, but there will be tens or even hundreds of thousands a
decade from now.
Experts have been sounding alarm bells for years that Earth orbit is getting a
bit too crowded. So how many satellites can we actually launch to space before
it gets to be too much?
Jonathan McDowell is an astrophysicist and astronomer at the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who studies super-energetic
phenomena in the universe such as jet-emitting black holes in galactic centers.
In recent years, however, McDowell has gained prominence for his work in a
completely different field of space research. In his monthly digital circular
called Jonathan's Space Report (opens in new tab), McDowell tracks the growing
number of satellite launches and the ballooning number of objects in Earth
orbit.
The project started with an ambition to "provide a pedantic historical record
of the space age," but has, in a way, become a chronicle of the environmental
destruction of the near Earth environment. In his frequent media appearances,
McDowell has been vocal about his views on the future of the increasingly
overcrowded near-Earth space.
"It's going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm with
everyone driving much too fast," he told Space.com when asked what the
situation in orbit will be like if existing plans for satellite
megaconstellations such as SpaceX's Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon Kuiper come to
fruition. "Except that there are multiple interstate highways crossing each
other with no stoplights."'
Via
The RISKS Digest Volume 33 Issue 64:
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/33/64#subj5
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
