Telescopes searching for brief flashes like supernovae and asteroids have to contend with a rising number of glints from satellites. These glints can last for a fraction of a second, but they're bright enough to be recorded as a starlike object in the field of view of a survey like the Vera Rubin Observatory. In a new study, astronomers identified tens of thousands of these glints captured by a survey telescope, and there could be 80,000/hour happening across the sky.
Throw enough glittering trash into orbit and your “can’t stay earthbound forever” platitudes become self-defeating because at some point nothing could be safely launched.
I already knew that; my point was that letting your euphorically under-regulated corporate saviors do whatever they please (which can and probably will include higher orbit satellite junk later on) under pretenses of pretentious “reach the stars” platitudes is interfering with actual contemporary scientific inquiry, right now.
The pollution of each launch is significant, and the benefit of the janky low orbit network is questionable (except to the US military), especially because it requires constant additional launches.
but have you considered that this under-regulated shlock allows for command and control in warzones across the world shitty internet service in “remote areas”
Throw enough glittering trash into orbit and your “can’t stay earthbound forever” platitudes become self-defeating because at some point nothing could be safely launched.
The satellite constellations are in LEO. Kessler syndrome is literally not possible at that altitude.
I already knew that; my point was that letting your euphorically under-regulated corporate saviors do whatever they please (which can and probably will include higher orbit satellite junk later on) under pretenses of pretentious “reach the stars” platitudes is interfering with actual contemporary scientific inquiry, right now.
The pollution of each launch is significant, and the benefit of the janky low orbit network is questionable (except to the US military), especially because it requires constant additional launches.
but have you considered that this under-regulated shlock allows for
command and control in warzones across the worldshitty internet service in “remote areas”