Explore EHN
Your gateway to environmental health knowledge
Join the Environmental Health News community
Stay on top of the latest science and journalism about environmental health and climate change: Sign up for our daily and weekly newsletters.
Global warming is reducing atmospheric drag in low Earth orbit, allowing more space debris to accumulate and increasing risks for satellites, researchers report.
Seth Borenstein reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
Key quote:
“We rely on the atmosphere to clean up our debris. There’s no other way to remove debris. It’s trash. It’s garbage. And there are millions of pieces of it.”
— Will Parker, astrodynamics researcher at MIT
Why this matters:
Space is becoming increasingly congested, and climate change is making it worse. With thousands of satellites essential for communication, weather forecasting, and security, a more cluttered orbit raises risks of collisions that could disrupt global systems. The problem stems from a cooling upper atmosphere, which slows the natural process of debris re-entering and burning up. If unchecked, the buildup of space junk could lead to a cascade of collisions, making parts of Earth's orbit unusable.
Read more: Musk’s Starlink launches spark calls from scientists for a federal review of environmental risks
Get top news, hand-picked by our editors and researchers, delivered straight to your inbox. We offer a host of daily and weekly options.
As a nonprofit, independent publication, we're dedicated to objective journalism and driving science-based discussions on crucial topics like climate change and public health.
Learn more about our commitment to integrity and diversity while staying informed about pressing environmental issues.
Nonprofit organizations MADE SAFE and Plastic Pollution Coalition released the new Healthy Pregnancy Guideto help parents-to-be navigate the challenges of making healthier living choices for babies and the planet.
Environmental Health News
Your support of EHN, a newsroom powered by Environmental Health Sciences, drives science into public discussions. When you support our work, you support impactful journalism. It all improves the health of our communities. Thank you!