The upsurge in placing mega-satellite constellations into Earth orbit is amplifying the problem of on-orbit space debris, possible impact on Earth’s atmosphere, and increased risk of space waste hitting the Earth.
New research points to the growing hazard of space waste.
“Large satellite constellations are one of the main reasons for an increasing amount of mass being brought into low Earth orbit in recent years. After end of life, the satellites, as well as rocket stages, reenter Earth’s atmosphere. This space waste burns up and thus injects a substantial amount of its matter into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere.”
One object that survived reentry of an Iridium satellite was discovered on the ground back in 2018. Image credit: Kings County Sheriff’s Office
Transition metals
The soon-to-be published work has been done by researchers at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. They point out that reentering “transition metals” – such as titanium and copper that are used in spacecraft and rocket stages — are threatening Earth’s ozone layer.
The injection of space waste into the Earth’s atmosphere can create “long-term adverse effects on the atmosphere such as ozone depletion, radiative effects and changes in cloud formation, if no action is taken,” concludes Leonard Schulz and colleagues.
“Research is urgently needed into the atmospheric accumulation, chemistry, and general atmospheric effects of specific elements,” the research team explains.
Credit: CORDS
Driving factor
According to the researchers, between 2020 and 2024, the mass influx and injected mass has more than doubled, whereas it stayed almost constant in the years before. “This shows that the onset of the large satellite constellation age is the driving factor of the increased space waste reentry into the atmosphere.”
To gain access to the preprint submitted to the Advances in Space Research journal – “Space waste: An update of the anthropogenic matter injection into Earth atmosphere” – go to:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.21328v1
Images taken recently of purported space debris landing in Australia.
Image credit: Western Australia Police Force