Rash Consequences of Satellites' Crash

By late November 2024, over nine hundred and fifty satellites re-entered Earth's atmosphere, fifty four between May 1st and 15, the number of re-entry sustaining the momentum of the year before.

In the year before, about 2,000 pieces of space debris re-entered Earth's atmosphere, with an average of three satellites re-entering on a daily basis, particularly those belonging to SpaceX's Starlink constellation, which re-entered numerous times.

Two years before, 160 large objects re-entered Earth's atmosphere in an uncontrolled fashion, with the United States Space Surveillance Network tracking more than 15,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10 centimeters.

Space debris keeps re-entering Earth's atmosphere, with some scientists tracking more than 29,000 pieces of space debris larger than a softball in orbit, including 3,000 inactive satellites, zipping around the globe at speeds of roughly 10 kilometers per second.

When old satellites die, 30 kilograms of aluminium oxide are produced, even if the satellite is small at just 2 kilograms (560 pounds), sparking chemical reactions that destroy the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects Earth from radiation.

When old satellites re-entered Earth's atmosphere between 2026 and 2022, they increased aluminium oxide particles eight fold, increasing the speed at which the compound eats up Earth's ozone layer.

When satellites fell in 2022, they produced about 17 metric tons of aluminium oxide nanoparticles, a figure that could increase to 360 tons every year, if the situation worsens, an increase of 646 percent over natural atmospheric levels.

When satellites make re-entries, they can contribute to cooling and warming effects on the planet's surface, causing changes in the ozone layer, which acts as a greenhouse gas and interconnects with forces that bring climate change.

Two years ago, about 9,115 active satellites orbited the planet, but this could increase drastically by 2030, especially when one estimate suggests that nearly 60,000 of them could be in orbit by then, and some going as far as suggesting a figure as high as 100,000.

Two years ago, the global space debris removal market was around $0.07 billion, but this could increase drastically by 2030, especially when the momentum for growth persists, such as the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the sector between 2023 and 2024, growing by 44.8 percent.

Last year, the total number of launched satellites stood at 259, but this could show a rise by 2030, with government and commercial entities projected to launch 1,700 on average per year by then.

With these alarming figures, it seems very certain that the amount of space debris re-entering Earth will show an increase, putting pressure on the ozone layer, which shows interconnectivity with climate change forces in complex ways.

Controlled re-entry, dismissable satellites, and regulatory measures should be implemented in this sector, while the trend towards unbridled consumption, which fuels the need for satellites in the first place, should be curbed.

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