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Bad news for Starlink: Earth’s atmosphere is shrinking

⁨91⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨PhilipTheBucket@ponder.cat⁩ to ⁨technology@beehaw.org⁩

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/03/11/greenhouse_gases_reduce_satellite_capacity_paper/

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  • 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yes, because the first thing I think about with a thinning atmosphere, is some megacorpo’s potential monetary losses, and not my home’s likely demise. Fuck them.

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    • Beldarofremulak@discuss.online ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Why don’t you cold hearted demons ever think about the vulnerable investors? They don’t have marketable skills ffs! How will they live when the profits stop?

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      • 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        How will they live when the profits stop?

        Image

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  • kibiz0r@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    “Modelled CO2 emissions scenarios from years 2000-2100 indicate a potential 50-66 percent reduction in satellite carrying capacity between the altitudes of 200 and 1,000 km.”

    That’s a severe reduction.

    I imagine Starlink still plans to launch as many as legally allowed.

    Imagine if Mr. “Occupy Mars” ends up being the guy to trap us here on Earth forever by clogging up space.

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    • SuspiciousCatThing@pawb.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
      [deleted]
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      • kibiz0r@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Dumbass could’ve been remembered as “IRL Ironman” forever if he just shut up and enjoyed his wealth.

        I think becoming a billionaire causes brain damage. Like, for real, literally brain damage.

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    • Rivalarrival@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Imagine if Mr. “Occupy Mars” ends up being the guy to trap us here on Earth forever by clogging up space.

      The starlink satellites orbit far too low for that to happen. Without expelling limited propellants to periodically boost their orbits, every satellite in the constellation will fall to earth in less than 10 years, most in less than 1.

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      • kibiz0r@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I’ve heard that before. But the main point of the paper is that drag is decreasing. So I’m curious to know how that impacts the stability of Starlink going forward. I doubt they have new figures after one day.

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    • Geodad@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      You’d think that this would place Musk on the “stop climate change” side, but I doubt he has the intelligence to figure that out.

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  • Nighed@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Doesn’t that just mean that lower orbits can be used? Less air resistance?

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    • Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Not exactly. If it goes into full blown Kessler syndrome, it will become everyone’s problem, including at the newly “freed up” lower orbits.

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      • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Except that isn’t how it works. The lower your orbit, the quicker your orbit decays due to atmospheric drag. If the atmosphere was 10% less dense, this wouldn’t significantly reduce that at those altitudes. In the current scenario, if every one of those satellites stopped working right now, the vast majority of them (and their parts) would deorbit within 10 years. This would be a bit of a problem for manned space flight, but wouldn’t affect things too much otherwise.

        If this was happening in geosynchronous orbit, with comparable amou to of mass, it would be a bigger deal.

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  • antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01512-0

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