- SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other companies have proposed millions of orbital datacenters, which would release pollutants like black soot, rare metals, and aluminum oxides, potentially causing catastrophic atmospheric changes.
- Pollution from satellites and rockets burning up upon re-entry is accumulating in the stratosphere, with unknown effects on the ozone layer and climate, potentially increasing ultraviolet radiation exposure.
- A petition filed by environmental groups (Peer, Earthjustice, DarkSky International) calls on the FCC to pause licensing for space datacenter projects, arguing they violate federal law and lack environmental impact assessments.
- The number of active satellites has grown from 1,400 in 2015 to about 15,000 currently, with projections of up to 100,000 within a decade, exacerbating pollution from launches and satellite re-entry.
- Space datacenters would require vast rare metals and resources, create light pollution harming wildlife, and raise legal questions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
- Companies like Cowboy Space Corporation and SpaceX have filed FCC applications with minimal environmental mitigation promises, lacking detail on addressing cumulative harms from millions of satellites.