Satellite mega-constellations raise climate and ozone concerns

07:00

By: Dakir Madiha

Satellite mega-constellations raise climate and ozone concerns

The rapid expansion of satellite constellations in low Earth orbit is drawing increasing concern from the scientific community. Researchers warn that the routine incineration of decommissioned satellites as they reenter the atmosphere could alter Earth’s climate and threaten the ozone layer. As companies like SpaceX seek approval to deploy up to one million satellites—far beyond the roughly 14,000 currently in orbit scientists and regulators are calling attention to the environmental gap in space policy.

In a recent commentary published in The Conversation, atmospheric chemist Laura Revell and astronomers Michele Bannister and Samantha Lawler compared the atmosphere to a “crematorium for satellites.” They estimate that burning one million satellites could release around one teragram, or one billion kilograms, of aluminum oxide into the upper layers of the atmosphere. Such deposits could drastically affect atmospheric chemistry and heating, though the full consequences are still uncertain. The warning comes as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and several Chinese state-backed programs file plans for massive orbital networks operating as AI data centers or global communication systems.

Scientific studies increasingly suggest that emissions from these satellite reentries are not trivial. Research from the University of Southern California published in Geophysical Research Letters found that each 250‑kilogram satellite emits about 30 kilograms of aluminum oxide when it burns up. In 2022, roughly 17 metric tons of these particles were released; by the late 2030s, annual totals could reach 360 metric tons as mega‑constellations scale up. Unlike short‑lived pollutants, aluminum oxides act as persistent catalysts for ozone depletion and could warm parts of the mesosphere by about 1.5°C, according to a 2025 NOAA‑CIRES model. Researchers warn that such changes may disturb polar vortex dynamics and long‑term atmospheric circulation.

Despite these warnings, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission remains exempt from conducting environmental assessments for most satellite launches under a regulatory carve‑out dating back to 1986. A Government Accountability Office review in 2022 urged the agency to reconsider that exemption, noting the unprecedented scale of current proposals. Lawler and her co‑authors argue that governments should set a safe limit on how much satellite material can be introduced into the atmosphere each year, emphasizing that no company should unilaterally decide how much pollution Earth’s upper air can absorb.