Space collisions could become a bigger risk thanks to greenhouse gas pollution

image via The Verge

March 10, 2025, 4:00 PM

• •Greenhouse gas emissions cause Earth's upper atmosphere to contract, potentially raising the risk of satellite collisions in orbit.
• •Satellite carrying capacity could decline between 50 to 66 percent between the altitudes of 200 and 1,000 km above Earth, according to the study.
• •Collisions are a growing concern as junk builds up in space. SpaceX satellites had to perform 50,000 collision avoidance maneuvers in just the first half of 2024 to avoid other spacecraft and debris.

Greenhouse gas emissions could affect satellite launches in the future, new research suggests. As it builds up, the pollution causes Earth’s upper atmosphere to contract, potentially raising the risk of satellite collisions in orbit. It’s yet another way that fossil fuel emissions are having a tangible impact on things people rely on daily, especially as telecommunication companies launch megaconstellations of satellites into orbit. Space, it turns out, is a finite resource — and it’ll have to be better managed as climate change makes things even more restricted, the study authors contend.

Read original article