Megaconstellations Threaten the Night Sky and Cultural Heritage
TL;DR Summary
SpaceX filed for a megaconstellation of up to a million satellites to power space-based data centers, joining a boom of proposals that could raise the number of active satellites from about 14,000 today to millions. The article warns this will permanently alter the night sky, disrupt astronomy and Indigenous cultural practices, and raise environmental and regulatory gaps, noting the lack of unified space traffic management. It advocates a Dark Skies Impact Assessment to document cumulative effects, explore mitigation, and inform licensing—aiming to improve decision-making rather than veto space development.
- Too many satellites? Earth’s orbit is on track for a catastrophe – but we can stop it The Conversation
- Two satellite proposals threaten the night sky — the window to act is now DarkSky International
- The Sky's No Longer the Limit: Satellite Megaconstellations Reshape Our Night Devdiscourse
- CRASH Clock: A satellite collision in low-Earth orbit could be just days away The Weather Network
- SpaceX’s Ambitious Plan for 1 Million Satellites Faces Growing Environmental Criticism The Daily Galaxy
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