As satellites fill Earth’s orbit, the space race is at risk of becoming an environmental disaster

'This sounds weak': how the satellite hit chain can get out of control

Our relationship with space is changing rapidly. For almost all of human history, the space above us was an unreachable limit. Yet in one lifetime, the Earth’s orbit has gone from empty to crowded with satellites. In the meantime, although the moon is still rare, in the next few decades it is expected to be … Read more

Are We About to Destroy the Night Sky with a Million AI Satellites and 50,000 Space Mirrors?

Image of Starlink satellites crossing in front of Venus and the Pleiades cluster. Credit - Torsten Hansen/IAU OAE

If you thought that the current crop of satellite megaconstellations was bad, you will be very disappointed by the new proposals from SpaceX and a company called Reflect Orbital. Their joint projects would change the night sky as we know it, and the world’s astronomical community is crying – especially letters from the Royal Astronomical … Read more