SpaceX, the space company owned by Elon Musk, aims to launch 12 satellites into space every month in 2024 and fill the orbit with Starlink satellites. But this goal seems to bring with it significant problems. We hope this won’t be the end of the world.
SpaceX will launch more Starlink satellites into orbit next year, and new reports say the company will aim for at least 144 launches in total in 2024, or about 12 satellites per month. This news was released by company executive Bill Gerstenmaier, who told the US Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science that it will try to reach 100 flights by the end of 2023.
While the news that SpaceX is aiming for 12 flights to the moon by 2024 is intriguing, it’s also a bit worrying. The biggest source of this concern is that the reason for the launches is to officially launch satellite-to-cellular data service using Starlink satellites. Starlink announced plans to offer satellite mobile phone service earlier this year, and that means putting more satellites in space around our planet.
While Starlink’s expansion isn’t unexpected, it raises concerns about how crowded near-Earth orbit is becoming with satellites, especially as the number of commercial space stations begins to increase and NASA prepares to retire the ISS within a few years. SpaceX is also working with other institutions to send various satellites and missions into space and will also play a role in the Artemis III mission, which aims to return humanity to the Moon.
According to an interactive animation, there are currently more than 3,500 Starlink satellites in orbit. Considering that this number will increase rapidly in the future, Starlink will soon tightly control the near-Earth orbital space. It’s unclear whether this will cause problems with future space mission launches, but concerns have been voiced in the past about how Starlink and other companies are filling up the space around our planet.
While the number of these new satellites is gradually increasing, it is also necessary to question how the light pollution problem, the importance of which was once again emphasized when one of the brightest lights in the sky turned into a satellite after the launch of BlueWalker 3, could be affected by a new cellular data-based satellite. We all hope that this will not be the end of the world. Do not disturb the eco balance.
