#spaceenvironment

Thanks to Michael Kan at @PCMag@mastodon.social for reaching out for comment on this story about SpaceX's latest maneuvers on its orbital data center proposal to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. https://www.pcmag.com/news/will-spacexs-orbiting-data-centers-rain-debris-over-earth #Space #SpaceEnvironment #DataCenters #SpaceDebris

"#Space #datacenters proposed by SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and others would release staggering levels of pollution that would probably alter the Earth’s atmosphere and be 'catastrophic' for the planet, space industry experts and environmental groups warn in a new petition demanding a review of their impacts." https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/23/space-datacenters-bezos-blue-origin #Environment #SpaceEnvironment

"Telescopes for amateur astronomers already come with a warning to avoid looking at the Sun. Now they will need another one for Reflect Orbital satellites." (via @skyandtelescope@bird.makeup) https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/observers-beware-reflect-orbitals-space-mirrors-approved-for-launch/ #Satellites #SpaceEnvironment #SunlightAsAService #Astronomy

"The company envisions multiple uses for sun-reflecting satellites: assisting search and rescue operations, allowing construction projects to operate around the clock, charging solar power stations, increasing crop yield. But critics cite all manner of risks. Human and animal circadian rhythms could be badly affected if the sun—or a simulacrum of it—never sets." https://time.com/article/2026/07/14/reflect-orbital-space-mirror-what-to-know/ #Space #SpaceEnvironment

"The Atmospheric Impacts of Re-entry and Launch (AIRL): High Priority Actions and Recommendations", a high-level research agenda for studying the atmospheric impacts of #space activities, has been published. It addresses a critical and rapidly growing blind spot in modern aerospace expansion: the environmental footprint left directly in Earth's atmosphere by rocket launches and #satellite re-entries. https://zenodo.org/records/20831147 #Environment #SpaceEnvironment