A group of over 100 researchers is calling on the federal government to hit the brakes on any more low-orbit internet satellite launches until a thorough examination is done to assess the potential environmental impacts. They sent a letter to Julie Kearney, who heads the Space Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), expressing their worries about how quickly these low-orbit satellites are being developed and highlighting the need for global collaboration to figure out a responsible way forward.
The researchers pointed out that we still don’t fully understand the environmental risks associated with launching and burning up so many satellites because there hasn’t been an official review yet. What’s clear, however, is that increasing numbers of satellites and launches lead to more harmful gases and metals entering our atmosphere. In their letter, they emphasized that we shouldn’t rush into launching these mega-constellations without carefully weighing whether the advantages outweigh the possible negative effects, such as debris from satellites re-entering our atmosphere.
They described this situation as uncharted territory and stressed that it’s crucial to proceed in a way that doesn’t create significant issues down the line. The researchers also pointed out that in just over five years, Elon Musk’s Starlink service has deployed more than 6,000 satellites—making up 60% of all active satellites in orbit. They noted how this new space race has unfolded faster than governments can respond, leaving regulatory bodies without adequate policies to evaluate the full impact of all these proposed mega constellations.
Furthermore, they criticized how the FCC grants licenses on a first-come-first-served basis while reminding everyone that orbital space and broadcast spectrum are finite resources. They called for an unprecedented level of cooperation among international regulators to manage this shared frontier effectively.
They mentioned that we shouldn’t allow the companies rushing to launch their satellites to dictate the rules until we have proper coordination established.
The researchers also urged the FCC to reconsider its blanket exclusion of satellites from environmental assessments, pointing out that sending anywhere from 30,000 to 500,000 satellites into low Earth orbit should definitely trigger an environmental review—it just seems illogical not to.