Space-based datacenters proposed by SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and other companies could generate staggering levels of pollution that may alter Earth’s atmosphere and have “catastrophic” consequences for the planet, space industry experts and environmental groups have warned in a new petition calling for a review of their potential impacts.
Technology companies have collectively proposed millions of “orbital datacenters” and are advancing plans that require approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
Among the concerns is the growing pollution generated as satellites and rockets burn up during re-entry into the atmosphere.
The spacecraft release black soot, rare metals, aluminium oxides and other pollutants whose environmental effects remain largely unknown.
Some scientists fear the pollution could damage the ozone layer, potentially exposing people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation and further destabilising the planet amid the climate crisis.
The pollutants could also eventually fall back to Earth, while millions of satellites could create a significant new source of light pollution.
The petition submitted to the FCC calls for a pause on new licenses for space data center projects, arguing that the plans “violate federal law”.
The datacenter companies “describe their plans in grandiose, civilization-changing terms”, the petition states.
“But these same proponents have refused to embrace any inquiry into the impacts of their self-claimed epochal technology on the environment, science, economy, or other values.”
The petition was filed by the nonprofit organisations Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Earthjustice and DarkSky International, which works to protect the night sky from light pollution.
Several former US federal space officials told the Guardian that they doubt the feasibility of orbital datacenters.
However, Steve Volz, the former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s satellite office, said placing millions of additional satellites into orbit would pose a significant environmental risk.
“There is a lot of complex material in these things, and even if they do burn up, you do not want to be filling up the atmosphere with refuse from these any more than you would want it coming from a smoke stack,” Volz said.
Volz remained with the agency until he was placed on leave and eventually dismissed under the Trump administration.
Facing fierce public opposition to terrestrial datacenters across the political spectrum, major technology companies began exploring the idea of deploying datacenters in space last year. Some have already started seeking the necessary permits.
The number of active satellites in orbit has grown exponentially, rising from about 1,400 in 2015 to roughly 15,000 today. That figure could reach as many as 100,000 within the next decade, excluding proposed datacenter networks. For now, much of the pollution from satellites is believed to come from Starlink and Amazon’s broadband “mega-constellations”, which together comprise about 10,000 satellites.
Spacecraft can create environmental problems both during launch and re-entry.
Rocket launches emit pollutants including black carbon, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, aluminium oxide and chlorine gases, while spacecraft can release mercury once in orbit.
When satellites are decommissioned five to 15 years later, they can release metals as they vaporise during re-entry.
Scientists only began uncovering some of the potential impacts in late 2023, when a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-sponsored stratospheric research flight detected metals in the sulfuric acid aerosols that make up much of the stratosphere.
These aerosols are believed to play an important role in regulating Earth’s temperature.
They may also act partly as a planetary “sunscreen” by forming high-altitude clouds that reflect solar radiation, while helping prevent greenhouse gases and pollution from reaching the ozone layer from below.
