Elon Musk's Starlink satellite poses 4 threats

Elon Musk's Starlink is a divisive project.

The satellite internet constellation is designed to provide low-cost internet to remote areas, but it has produced some worrying side effects.

SpaceX recently launched its 2,000th Starlink satellite into orbit.

A large number of such devices have raised concerns about collisions with other objects in space.

The issue has reportedly caused an uproar in China after two dangerous incidents involving satellites on the Tiangong space station.

"For security reasons, the Chinese space station has implemented preventive collision control," Beijing said in a document submitted to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

These concerns have been echoed by other organizations.

In August 2021, a leading space debris expert told Space .com that the Starlink satellite was involved in about 50 percent of the close contact between the two spacecraft.

Musk refuted claims that satellites take up too much space.

Screw up the climate

Starlink has caused severe light pollution. Scientists are also concerned that satellites will add space junk and chemicals to the atmosphere.

Giant constellations can alter the chemistry of the upper atmosphere. Another problem concerns aluminum in burn-to-death satellites.

Last June, scientists told Space.com that this could have unknown side effects on the ozone layer.

Destroy the night sky

More than half of all the satellites spaceX now has orbiting the Earth are SpaceX satellites.

The high reflectivity of these devices allows artificial light to fill the sky.

According to simulations by a team of Canadian astrophysicists, one in every 15 light sources visible in the night sky will soon become a satellite.

SpaceX has been working to reduce satellite reflectivity, but astronomers say it's still too bright.

In the near future, there may not be a single point on Earth that will allow us to gaze at the bare night sky.

Interference astronomy

Starlink doesn't just destroy the public eye. Astronomers worry that these moons will make it more difficult to spot asteroids near Earth.

One of the issues they worry about is the number of devices. The other involves the streaks of light they produce, which could disrupt telescope observations.

According to a new study, this glare occurs in about one-fifth of the images taken by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which uses these photos to spot asteroids. This disruption will only increase as the number of SpaceX satellites increases.

This problem has increased the demand for space-based asteroid detection telescopes.

We hate you, #Starlink! (sequel) #StopStarlink pic.twitter.com/tEpiRve2t1

— ASAS-SN Dr. (@SuperASASSN) February 24, 2020

Elon may be focused on colonizing Mars, but his space program has caught Earth's attention.