Astronomers alert: “Satellite sustainability or it will be like plastic”

Thousands and thousands of satellites in orbit are floating above our heads, it is estimated that there are over ten thousand active or become debris. And if these satellites are bringing new data and new strategic knowledge, “however, there are now so many that we risk having the same consequences as plastic – a very precious material that has invaded the planet – if we fail to field a ‘new ecology of sky ‘and new productions of more sustainable satellites, this was confirmed by a group of Italian astronomers and astrophysicists during this afternoon’s online debate “The new constellations in the sky”, already available on YouTube, promoted by the Italian Astronomical Society (Sait). “Elon Musk alone has already launched more than 1,500 satellites and continues at the rate of over 100 per month with the aim of reaching about 12 thousand”, astrophysicist Patrizia Caraveo of INAF, moderator of the debate in which they participated, underlines to the Adnkronos , among others, the president of Sait Roberto Buonanno, the president of INAF Marco Tavani and the astronomer Piero Benvenuti, professor emeritus at the University of Padua and former Secretary General of the International Astronomical Union (Iau). “Musk – comments Caraveo – is only the first but there are other space industries and companies in the world that plan to launch 50 thousand satellites in the next few years and, if we also include the programs of Russia and China, we could even reach 100 thousand new launches “. “For this it will be essential to be able to find a worldwide coordination to avoid traffic jams and ‘a sea of ​​pollution’ and debris in orbit” adds Caraveo. “I would not want our debate to be remembered as a clash between ‘people in favor of satellites’ or ‘people against satellites’ because what we want instead is only to raise the great issue of the environmental impact of satellites on our sky, an impact that needs to be measured now. And Italy within the G7 has already supported this request and participates in the initiative to push ‘sustainable space’ “says the Italian astrophysics author of the book” Il cielo è di tutti “(and .Dedalo 2020). (by Andreana d’Aquino)