As of now, the bulk of the pollution is thought to come from Starlink's and Amazon's "mega constellations" that provide broadband internet made up of about 10,000 satellites. As many as 100,000 satellites are expected to be in near-Earth orbit within a decade as a satellite race among nations picks up steam.
Spacecraft can cause problems on their way up and down. Launches emit a range of emissions like black carbon, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, aluminum oxide, chlorine gases and, once in orbit, mercury. When satellites are decommissioned five to 15 years later, they release metals as they vaporize. That's injecting pollutants into previously pristine parts of the stratosphere, a highly sensitive system, and there's very little understanding of the consequences...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/07/space-pollution-elon-musk
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