Skip to main content

Scientists call for environmental protections for space

Promotional image for Tech For Change. Person standing on solar panel looking at sunset.
This story is part of Tech for Change: an ongoing series in which we shine a spotlight on positive uses of technology, and showcase how they're helping to make the world a better place.

Scientists are calling for environmental protections of space to be put in place to account for the increasing number of satellite launches. As more satellites are launched, the problem of space debris gets worse and worse, and scientists have warned this could have long-term consequences for both scientific research and the well-being of people on the ground.

Time to Act

The European Space Agency (ESA) also recently put out a report on space debris, mentioning that the increasing number of satellite launches, especially satellite constellations in low-Earth orbit like SpaceX’s Starlink, is creating an unsustainable impact on the space environment. According to ESA, there are more than 30,000 pieces of space debris that have been recorded in orbit around our planet, and according to models, there could be more than one million objects larger than 1 centimeter in size.

Recommended Videos

In their paper in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group of researchers warned that the accumulation of junk in orbit, such as satellites that no longer work or discarded rocket boosters, will impact a wide range of fields. As well as satellites interfering with astronomy research, the increasing amount of junk will interfere with what they call “public access to the stars” — the right of ordinary people to look up and see an unpolluted night sky. This applies to both amateur astronomers, the many groups of Indigenous people for whom the night sky is an important part of their culture, and everyone who simply wishes to enjoy the view of the stars above.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

One of the major problems of space debris is that, without serious actions taken soon, the issue will continue to get worse due to collisions. When two satellites collide, they create thousands of pieces of debris which is smeared across their orbits — and this debris can create yet more collisions. The ultimate danger is that we could be affected by “Kessler syndrome,” in which there is so much junk in orbit that cascading collisions make it difficult or even impossible to launch any further space missions.

The researchers argue that we should consider space through the same lens of environmentalism that we use for Earth, and take action to protect it. “We rely on the orbital space environment by looking through it, as well as by working within it,” they write. “Hence, we should consider damage to professional astronomy, public stargazing, and the cultural importance of the sky, as well as the sustainability of commercial, civic, and military activity in space.”

Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
How astronauts stay fit and healthy in space
iss-olympics

Space is not an easy environment to live in. Going to space and living in microgravity for extended periods has a range of effects on the body, from space sickness similar to motion sickness, to deteriorating eye sight, to fluids pooling in the upper half of the body. And though weightlessness allows astronauts to spin, rotate, and float through the air, it has a downside. Without the force of gravity to fight against, muscles of the body begin to deteriorate as they aren't used regularly.

To work against this loss of muscle and bone mass, astronauts have to exercise for up to an hour every day. And scientific investigation into how to protect human health in space is one of the key goals of work on the International Space Station, with a range of experiments being performed there to assess health and wellbeing in space.

Read more
That 8-day Starliner space mission is now 233 days in
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

Just before NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams headed to the Starliner spacecraft on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida in June last year, they will have probably said something to their family and friends along the lines of: “See you next week.”

That's because their stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) was scheduled to last eight days in what was the first crewed flight of the Starliner. But the mission took an unexpected turn when the spacecraft developed several technical issues on the way to the ISS. Fortunately, the capsule managed to dock, and Wilmore and Williams were able to safely board the ISS. However, after weeks of trying to resolve the issues, it was eventually decided that, out of an abundance of caution, the Starliner would be brought home empty.

Read more
See a stunning view of a eclipse in space captured by the Blue Ghost mission
Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost mission, launched earlier this month on a mission to the moon, has captured stunning video of the Earth eclipsing the sun as seen from space. The Blue Ghost lander is currently in orbit around the Earth, adjusting its trajectory so it can head toward the moon over the next several weeks. And while it is there, it has been collecting data using its science instruments and testing out its communication system.

"5 days into our mission and we've traveled 220,000 miles while downlinking 1.4 GB of data!" Firefly announced earlier this week. "There's a long road ahead, but our #GhostRiders have already accomplished so much!"

Read more