Studies warn<\/a> of ozone depletion, stratospheric heating and new metal aerosols from burning spacecraft. The pace is accelerating fast<\/a> and unless we redesign how we use and retire satellites, we risk swapping one environmental problem (congestion in Earth orbit from too many spacecraft) for another (an atmosphere seeded with rocket soot and satellite ash).<\/p>\n The problem is that most satellites are de-orbited when they reach the end of their lives. Essentially, they self-destruct in the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, disintegrating as they are heated to thousands of degrees Celsius. But there is an increasing move to extend the lives of satellites in orbit by, for example, refuelling them. They could also be de-orbited in a gentler manner, so that parts can be reused.<\/p>\n Orbital launches hit fresh records<\/a> in 2024 and 2025 as companies raced to establish and refresh mega-constellations, which are large networks of many satellites launched to provide a particular service, such as internet access. <\/p>\n SpaceX\u2019s Starlink is one example. Independent estimates<\/a> report between 259 and 271 launches in 2024 and more than 315 in 2025, driven largely by commercial broadband fleets. That launch pace means unprecedented reentry traffic: thousands of satellites self destructing in the atmosphere. <\/p>\n Researchers estimate<\/a> that by the 2030s, re-entering satellites could inject thousands to tens of thousands of tonnes of alumina (aluminium oxide) and other metals into the middle atmosphere each year.<\/p>\n Why does that matter? Alumina can catalyse the chemistry that destroys the ozone layer, which protects the Earth\u2019s surface from harmful solar radiation. Meanwhile, rocket exhaust \u2013 especially black carbon (soot) from rocket engines powered by hydrocarbon propellants \u2013 warms the stratosphere (the layer of the atmosphere immediately above the one where we live) and alters winds. <\/p>\n Modelling suggests<\/a> that the growth in space launches could measurably thin global ozone and delay its recovery after the success of the Montreal Protocol<\/a> \u2013 the 1987 agreement designed to reduce the use of ozone-harming chemicals.<\/p>\n Crucially, scientists are now detecting the chemical footprints of launches in the atmosphere. Research aircraft<\/a> have sampled \u201cexotic\u201d metals (aluminium, copper, lithium and more) embedded in stratospheric particles, consistent with rocket and satellite reentries.<\/p>\n Not just a traffic problem<\/p>\n Treating end-of-life space vehicles via \u201cjust burn it up\u201d may clear orbits, but it risks trading orbital debris for atmospheric pollution. <\/p>\n One study forecast<\/a> that by 2040, alumina from reentries could rival meteoric dust, shifting polar temperatures and winds \u2013 the same regions most sensitive to ozone chemistry.<\/p>\n Independent analyses<\/a> show that black carbon emissions<\/a> from rockets can warm the stratosphere by up to a few degrees and slow jet streams under highgrowth scenarios, raising concerns<\/a> about undesirable impacts on climate change and ozone chemistry. <\/p>\n Recent years have seen a wave of space launches to support large networks of satellites, such as Starlink. There are terrestrial risks too. While the individual risk from falling debris remains very low, the collective risk<\/a> is rising as reentries multiply, prompting calls for tighter limits<\/a> on uncontrolled descents.<\/p>\n Astronomy is already feeling the strain<\/a>. Simulations indicate<\/a> that, if constellations reach projected sizes by decade\u2019s end, a large fraction of images from some space and ground-based observatories will be spoiled by satellite streaks \u2013 a product of the large number of satellites passing in front of the telescope.<\/p>\n A better path<\/p>\n There is another way forward. A circular economy<\/a> for space applies the same principles that It\u2019s something we are exploring at the Southampton Space Institute<\/a>, which opened in 2025. My colleague and I estimate the reuse and scrap value of orbital debris at US$570 billion (\u00a3419 billion) \u2013 US$1.2 trillion (\u00a3900 billion), spanning between 5,312 and 19,124 tonnes of recoverable material. That economic signal can justify investment in the technologies and markets that turn \u201cjunk\u201d into feedstock \u2013 raw materials or components that can be used for other purposes.<\/p>\n We can also extend the lives of satellites by servicing them \u2013 for example, refuelling them when they are running low on propellant. Northrop Grumman\u2019s Mission Extension Vehicles<\/a> have already docked with an ageing satellite in geostationary orbit, adding years of service and avoiding premature disposal.<\/p>\n The active removal of space debris could also help. The European Space Agency\u2019s Satellites and rockets should be built<\/a> for repair, refuelling and gentle de-orbiting, so that parts can be retrieved and reused. The choice of materials used could also minimise ozone damaging residues in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n Policymakers can accelerate this by making manufacturers responsible<\/a> for their products along the entire life-cycle (so-called extended producer responsibility). Financial incentives such as refundable bonds<\/a> for companies that de-orbit their satellites could also help, along with licence conditions<\/a> that favour satellite servicing over disposal in Earth orbit.<\/p>\n The science in this area is still maturing. We need coordinated measurements and modelling of soot, alumina and metals in the middle atmosphere. The direction of travel is clear: under high growth scenarios, space launches and routine burn-ups of satellites can slow ozone healing<\/a> and reshape the stratosphere. Under smarter, circular economy scenarios, we can have a clean sky.<\/p>\n So the options are: keep launching, burning and polluting the atmosphere or build a circular space economy that extends, services and recovers parts from satellites. <\/p>\n If we get this right, future generations will inherit both a darker, quieter sky and a resilient, circular space industry \u2013 and they\u2019ll wonder why we ever thought that leaving satellites in space was a good plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Look up on a clear night and you\u2019ll see the streaks of our new space age. What you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-314011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Starlink](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/file-20260304-57-1v2nai.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Wikideas1<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/p>\n
\naims to transform modern waste policy on Earth. This means designing products to last and keep them in service, eliminate pollution, and recover value at end of life. Our research shows it\u2019s not only technically possible \u2013 it\u2019s financially attractive. <\/p>\n
\nClearSpace1 project<\/a> plans to demonstrate the first capture and de-orbit of space debris in 2029. The UK\u2019s Clear mission<\/a> will also remove multiple items of space debris \u2013 as a kind of \u201cgarbage collection\u201d that reduces the risk of them colliding with satellites.<\/p>\n