Great @nytimes reporting today on the ongoing astronomers-vs-satellites story, with quotes from many colleagues and mention of the work of the IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference.
And following closely: what all those rocket launches may be doing to the terrestrial environment. "Earth’s stratosphere has never seen the amounts of emissions and waste from rockets and satellites that a booming space economy will leave behind."
In case anyone is wondering, it has dissipated a bit, but most of the water vapor injected into the upper atmosphere by the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption is still there.
Not the most important factor, but possibly a small contributing factor to the weird weather in 2023.
#Astrobotic#Peregrine update 17 While we believe it is possible for the #spacecraft to operate for several more weeks and could potentially have raised the orbit to miss the Earth, we must take into consideration the anomalous state of the propulsion system and utilize the vehicle’s onboard capability to end the mission responsibly and safely.
Peregrine will soon return and burn up 🔥 in Earth’s #atmosphere. https://www.astrobotic.com/update-17-for-peregrine-mission-one/