"A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday night, in a major setback for Blue Origin. The rocket erupted in a giant fire ball that engulfed the launch pad at 9 p.m. EDT as the engines appeared to be igniting for a pre-launch test known as a static fire. New Glenn had been slated to launch a batch of satellites for another Bezos venture, Amazon Leo, as soon as June 4."
Space Environmentalism
@space_environmentalism
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The Center for Space Environmentalism (CSE) increases awareness and understanding of space environmentalism issues and helps stakeholders make better decisions about them by pursuing research, education, outreach and advocacy. https://www.spaceenvironmentalism.org #Space #SpaceEnvironment #SpaceEnvironmentalism
"A study published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences found that [orbital] decay rates rose sharply when sunspot numbers exceeded about 67% to 75% of the [solar] cycle peak. The timing is awkward for the satellite industry. Low Earth orbit is no longer a sparse operating environment. In a mega-constellation era, the same solar-driven process can act as both a cleanup mechanism and an operational stress test."
A 36-year sweep of orbital debris has found the solar threshold where Earth’s upper atmosphere starts pulling space junk down faster, just as mega-constellations crowd low orbit
Solar Cycle 25 has already reached its solar maximum period, and a new long-term study of orbital debris points to a practical warning for the satellite age: once sunspot numbers climb past roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of a cycle’s peak, debris in low Earth orbit can begin losing altitude much faster. That does not mean […]
"Up until a decade ago, China had never launched as many as 20 orbital rockets a year. But beginning in 2022, the Asian country launched 64 rockets and last year reached a record total of 93. However there is an issue with these launches, as China appears to be ignoring long-established norms about disposing of the upper stages of rockets."
"Missing data is a problem for scientists trying to explain the Earth's climate to politicians and business leaders who make decisions on what to do about climate change. While the data loss is currently small, scientists say the problem will only get worse over time as space debris increases. 'Things will get worse before they get better,' said the NASA scientists in [a] 2018 report that assessed debris maneuvers."
IRAP[Space Environment] On Tuesday, the #academies of sciences from the G7 countries met in Paris to give voice to #science. On this occasion, three declarations were signed by the G7 academies and presented to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. One of them is entitled ‘Large #Satellite #Constellations: Perspectives and Challenges’ : https://www.academie-sciences.fr/sites/default/files/2026-05/S7%202026_Large%20Satellite%20Constellations%20Perspectives%20and%20Challenges.pdf
"Several scientific bodies now advise on policy in different areas of #space #sustainability. But no single body exists to provide comprehensive policy input to governments. We urgently need an intergovernmental panel on space sustainability (IPSS)."
"Based on estimates described by researchers as 'conservative', the global #space sector will have released by 2030 more climate-altering chemicals into the atmosphere than the entire United Kingdom. If the growth envisioned by the space industry leaders comes to pass, this air pollution, mostly concentrated in higher layers of the #atmosphere, will at some point begin altering Earth's #climate."
"Potent air pollution generated by the launch and reentry of large, disposable satellite systems is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere, decreasing the amount of sunlight reaching Earth's surface. By 2029, the accumulating pollution will have an effect similar to proposed geoengineering techniques, which aim to cool the planet by blocking some sunlight with particles injected into the upper atmosphere."
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-satellite-pollution-rapidly-accumulating-upper.html
Satellite launch pollution is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere
The potent pollution from so-called megaconstellation satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
"Ultrabright satellite constellations planned to launch in the next decade could make the sky three times brighter. ... [T]he worst-case scenario involves superbright Reflect Orbital-type satellites. The model showed that a constellation of 50,000 of these satellites — similar to the company's 2035 vision — may make the night sky three times as bright as it is now, rendering the LSST Camera's images worthless."
The night sky could get three times brighter as new satellites launch — all but ruining the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's survey of the universe
Extremely bright satellites and megaconstellations could make the night sky up to three times brighter than it is now, a new study warns. This would seriously hinder astronomical imaging devices, like the enormous camera at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
"Space is getting congested with man-made creations at an exponential rate. If the throwaway stages of these rockets aren't handled with proper diligence, the odds of them going where they shouldn't go up, too. Fortunately, these things are mostly designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere if they come this way. But if they get caught by the Moon, the airless celestial body just has to receive them as trash."
https://www.jalopnik.com/2161457/moon-launches-littering-space-with-junk/
