New research reveals that aluminum oxide particles released during reentry of satellites are jeopardizing ozone recovery.
Satellite megaconstellations, such as Space X’s Starlink, are designed to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after five years. The resulting buildup of aluminum oxide from these reentries could damage the ozone layer.Now, a recent study sheds new light on the impact of aluminum oxide particles left behind when defunct satellites burn up in the atmosphere. A team of scientists has found an eight-fold increase in these oxides between 2016 and 2022.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites make up the majority of objects in low Earth orbit. There are currently about 6,000 SpaceXorbiting Earth. The space company has permission to launch another 12,000, and it would like to eventually send as many as 42,000 to LEO. Other companies like Amazon, with its Project Kuiper, are also looking to send thousands of internet satellites to
According to the researchers, the oxides can stay in Earth’s atmosphere for decades. This means the trend of sending satellites to LEO to be burned up in five-year cycles could have a cumulative destructive effect.
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