Starlink Satellites Today

[deluxestogie]

One man's treasure is another man's trash. Below is a map of the Starlink satellites currently in orbit (about 8000 of them).

As they are de-orbited, which is a continual process, replaced by new ones, they burn up in the atmosphere, depositing aluminum oxide in the stratosphere.

"Between December 2024 and July 2025, more than 525 Starlinks deorbited. ...adding an estimated 15,000 kilograms of aluminum oxide to the upper atmosphere."​

"Meteors are mostly rock. Satellites are mostly metal."​

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

Bob

 

[johnny108]

I am reminded of an old role playing game called “Rifts” where dimensional rifts have opened up all over Earth and created a post apocalyptic environment.
Space travel is impossible thanks to a massive cloud of debris that destroys anything sent into orbit…..

 

[deluxestogie]

Space travel is impossible thanks to a massive cloud of debris

"An ever-increasing number of space debris, including over 36,500 objects larger than 10 cm and more than a million exceeding 1 cm, threaten to render our planet’s orbits unusable."​

Beyond Mitigation: Progress and Challenges of Orbital Debris Remediation

"Humanity is likely past the stage where merely halting new debris is insufficient to curb orbital pollution. It is therefore expedient to not only prevent new debris but also actively remove existing threats through debris remediation." An ever-increasing number of space debris, including over...

spacegeneration.org

Bob