The Crowded Sky: Satellite Constellations and Space Sustainability

The provided text details the significant and escalating challenges posed by the proliferation of satellite mega-constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It explains how the rapid deployment of tens of thousands of satellites by commercial and state entities like SpaceX and Amazon, driven by the demand for global broadband, is fundamentally altering the space environment. The document outlines major impacts on astronomy due to light and radio interference, increased collision risks and the acceleration of Kessler Syndrome from orbital congestion, and environmental concerns from metallic atmospheric deposition during re-entry. Furthermore, it highlights the inadequacy of current international and national governance frameworks to manage these issues effectively, concluding with a call for holistic mitigation strategies and a paradigm shift towards treating orbital space as a finite resource.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.