This time it's not just Elon Musk's “fault” with his people satellites Starlinks launched into orbit which have now reached a number estimated at over five thousand. That number, in fact, is added to the very numerous ones already present who are found in space far above the Earth's atmosphere. Some scientists are warning about the environmental impact of these satellites which would be increasingly evident as more are added due to metal powders which result from when they burn in contact with the atmosphere during their re-entry.
The results of the study
Talking about this new problem is a study from the University of Iceland and exposed by Professor Sierra Solter-Hunt, Oceanic and Atmospheric Physics which explains first of all what will happen in the next decades when it is expected that they will orbit space from “500 thousand to a million satellites mainly to build Internet constellations called megaconstellations. These megaconstellations are disposable and will constantly re-enter and be replaced, thus creating a layer of conductive particulate“. The fear is that as these megaconstellations grow, particulate matter from satellites could grow dramatically, creating “a global belt of plasma dust with a higher charge than the rest of the magnetosphere”, explains the scientist, who does not hesitate to talk about the “real risk of atmospheric laceration“.
The risks for the Earth
If new evidence were to confirm this, the dust from the returning satellites could also influence the Earth's magnetic field. “We are surrounding the planet with garbage“he said to Space.com. The scholar came across the problem of increasing concentrations of metal dust in the Earth's upper atmosphere during her PhD on “plasma powder“. The thousands and thousands of satellites in orbit made of aluminum and, therefore, considered superconductors, could “block, distort or shield magnetic fields. My concern is that at some point in the future, this conductive dust could create some disturbances in the magnetosphere.”. This means that what is subjected to “stress”, according to the scientist, is above all the ozone layer which protects the Earth.
The controversial reactions
Following her article of which Solter-Hunt is the sole author, there have been many controversies and online discussions with many colleagues who speak of “conclusions exaggerate“. The professor. of astronomy at the University of Rochester, John Tarduno, explained to LiveScience that “Even at the dust density levels discussed in the study, a magnetic shield like the one described is unlikely” and that some parts of the research must be revised because they are considered “too simplistic and difficult to correct“. Prof. Fionagh Thompson, researcher at Durham University, also takes the same side as Tarduno.
“It's an interesting experiment in logic but you shouldn't get the idea that this is what will happen“.