New NASA cost-benefit of tracking/mitigating orbital debris finds that propulsive deorbiting and improved tracking of large debris have the best C-B ratio, while tracking of cm-size debris and removing mm-sized debris is less beneficial.
#TIL that the American Enterprise Institute has built what looks to be a useful dashboard based on data aggregated by @planet4589 and @celestrak to visualize lots of information about trends in #space launches, #satellites and #SpaceDebris.
Bad news for radio astronomy AND optical astronomy. Not only is 'Supplemental Coverage from Space' (aka direct-to-cell) transmission unregulated at this point, but the 2nd generation of #BlueBird satellites will be monstrously large reflectors of sunlight.
"In 2023, space insurers collected approximately $557 million in premiums, but paid out $995 million in insurance claims, resulting in a record-breaking net loss of $438 million."
News about the ongoing militarization of near-earth space. "Fundamentally, this is about characterizing an unknown capability for the first time in low-Earth orbit."
More media attention to the prospect that rapidly increasing human activity will drastically alter the space environment. "How could we possibly think that burning trash in our atmosphere 24/7 is going to be fine?"
A striking representation of the number of objects launched into space each year since Sputnik I in 1957 based on data from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (via @ourworldindata)
Aparna Venkatesan (University of San Francisco) and I wrote an op-ed for @spacedotcom today in which we argue that changes are coming, caused by humans, that risk "future generations' ability to practice scientific and cultural traditions on, near or in relation to the Moon."
Another article beating the drum about a successor to the OST: "[J]ust like in the last space race during the Cold War, the rapid development of new spaceflight capabilities has led to new questions about international cooperation in space and the militarization of Earth orbit."
"About 10% of the particles floating around the stratosphere now come from the aerospace industry, and we don't know if this could impact the climate."
.@sundogplanets: "Get out and enjoy your dark skies, before they change. With proper regulation, our oldest form of space exploration can continue. I desperately hope we never reach a point where the natural patterns in the sky are drowned out by anthropogenic ones, but without regulation, corporations will get us there soon."
Bad news for the habitability of Planet A: the second space race continues its growth, with 100 launches planned only by China this year. On top of this comes of course the even more important number of launches by the US. Reminder: for decades, the number of annual launches was between 50-100. But since a few years the sector has engaged into a perfectly looking exponential growth that is not environmentally sustainable. #SpaceSustainability https://spacenews.com/chinas-2024-space-plans-include-100-launches-and-moon-sample-return-mission/
"In the past year, the amount of collision-avoidance maneuvers that needed to happen with the #Starlink constellation were an order of magnitude greater than they were in the past five years combined."
Has anyone estimated which environmental impact is larger: that of feeding cats with meat-based food, or that of cat owners posting pictures and videos of their cat on social networks? For the latter, a share from the launch of megaconstellations that are used to watch cat videos in the middle of nowhere should probably be included. #GlobalWarming#SpaceSustainability
"According to data from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2023 was a record year for launching satellites, probes, landers and more into space. But scientists worry those plumes of exhaust trailing behind rockets could be scattering harmful pollutants into the pristine upper layers of the atmosphere." (via @PBSNewsHour)
Not sure that "Japan to launch artisanal spacecraft" was on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are.
But seriously, good on @guardianscience for mentioning that otherwise, "aluminium from re-entering satellites could cause serious depletion of the ozone layer".
๐ฐ Do you want an overview of the technical and scientific aspects of light pollution and radio / optical interference from satellites?
๐ฐ Do you want to learn about the legal avenues for the protection of dark and quiet skies?
Please join the IAU CPS for a Webinar about ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฌ, on 16th or 19th/20th February, depending on your time zone.