Center for Space Environmentalism
@space-environment.bsky.social
120 followers 54 following 72 posts
The Center for Space Environmentalism (CSE) increases awareness and understanding of space environmentalism issues and helps stakeholders make better decisions about them by pursuing research, education, outreach and advocacy. spaceenvironmentalism.org
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space-environment.bsky.social
"California-based Reflect Orbital recently requested a license from the FCC to launch a demonstration satellite in 2026. While its mission is to extend the operating hours of solar farms, astronomers say doing so will come at the expense of their research."

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Plan to Reflect Sunlight to Power Solar Panels at Night Upsets Astronomers
Reflect Orbital aims to launch its first of a planned 4,000 satellites into orbit next year. Scientists worry that it would be “ruinous” for research.
www.bloomberg.com
space-environment.bsky.social
Space continues to fill quickly: "SpaceX has filed with the FCC asking to launch 15,000 new satellites for direct-to-device service. The filing does not share many specifics about the range of services that would be supported by this constellation."

www.satellitetoday.com/connectivity...
SpaceX Seeks Approval for 15,000 Satellites to Use MSS Spectrum
SpaceX has filed with the FCC asking to launch 15,000 new satellites for D2D service that would use the spectrum SpaceX purchased from EchoStar.
www.satellitetoday.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"Back in 2022, the FCC set regulations requiring satellites operating in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to deorbit within five years of completing their mission, in order to reduce collisions and #SpaceDebris. Now, Amazon wants to see that rule scrapped."

www.lightreading.com/satellite/am...
Amazon to FCC: Drop five-year deorbit rule
Amazon wants the FCC to roll back a five-year deorbit rule for satellites which was established in 2022 to mitigate the harms of orbital debris.
www.lightreading.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"Bright communication satellites in low-Earth orbit are beginning to interfere with astronomical observing. Soon, a new type of satellite will intentionally beam sunlight to Earth’s surface at night."

skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...

#Space #SpaceEnvironment
skyandtelescope.org
space-environment.bsky.social
"The contemporary LEO boom, far from being a rising tide that lifts all boats, is paradoxically leading to the consolidation of control over the most fundamental resources of spaceflight."

www.thespacereview.com/article/5044/1

#Space #SpaceEnvironment
The Space Review: The LEO toll road: How the constellation gold rush is paving over the path to the planets
www.thespacereview.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order with the purpose of enabling commercial space companies by reducing or removing environmental and other regulations. However, ... removing regulations could prove an environmental disaster."

www.iflscience.com/trumps-execu...

#SpaceEnvironment
Trump's Executive Order To Slash Environmental Regulations For Space Launches: We Look At The Risks And Realities
Claims that environmental protections are obstacles to the space industry do not match evidence of what happens around spaceports.
www.iflscience.com
space-environment.bsky.social
Statements during the press conference on the NASA plans to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon imply a potential U.S. territorial/property claim, which would appear to violate the Outer Space Treaty.

nasawatch.com/artemis/lets...
Lets Do Nukes On The Moon (Update with Directive)
build a nuclear reactor on the moon
nasawatch.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"SpaceX just conducted a giant uncontrolled experiment in atmospheric chemistry. Earlier this year, analysts noticed Starlink satellites were falling out of the sky. What’s going on? In short: routine housecleaning. What’s not usual is the atmospheric fallout."

spaceweather.com/archive.php?...
space-environment.bsky.social
The "21st-century space race, while a boon for communications and Earth monitoring, is sending up a red flag with experts, who warn that the tech advances satellite may bring are linked to a growing number of Earth environmental impacts.”

news.mongabay.com/2025/07/comm...
news.mongabay.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"As we increase the amount of space traffic, especially smaller objects [like cubesats] we end up with a very crowded and difficult situation for traditional purveyors of [Space Situational Awareness].”

www.airandspaceforces.com/space-traffi...

#SpaceEnvironment
Space Traffic Management’s Future: Smaller Sats, More Threats
The space traffic monitoring system for tracking satellites and debris in orbit, run by the Space Force, is under increasing strain.
www.airandspaceforces.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"The hundreds of miles of ocean that surround ... [the] Hawaiian islands are now under threat. ... Once #SpaceX ramps up launches, bird and sea life could face hazardous material spills, falling objects and sonic booms.”

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

#SpaceEnvironment #Environment #Hawaii
Inside Elon Musk’s plan to rain SpaceX’s rocket debris over Hawaii’s pristine waters
Texas has long been under threat from the launches and explosions of SpaceX rockets. Now Hawaii is emerging as another possible victim
www.theguardian.com
space-environment.bsky.social
Thanks to / gracias a @climatica.coop for publishing this story in Spanish about CSE whose title translates to "Space is also an environment (and this association wants to protect it)".

climatica.coop/espacio-tamb...

#SpaceEnvironment
climatica.coop
space-environment.bsky.social
"The methodology presented is applied to study the impact of a collision for a Japanese H-2A upper stage. Using NASA’s risk rate model, such a collision could result in a cost of $555M to LEO operators over the following 10 years."

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#SpaceEnvironment
Estimating the environmental impacts of a derelict object on current and future operational spacecraft
Ensuring long-term space sustainability demands effective management of the growing orbital debris population. While current mitigation methods and re…
www.sciencedirect.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"A one-dimensional hierarchy of moral value misses the interconnected webs of nature’s generative forces. In the case of space exploration, it misses the important possibility that inanimate entities and extraterrestrial systems can have tremendous moral value."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How to chart a moral future for space exploration
Expanding human influence in outer space will require an ethical compass that is more expansive than the one conventionally used.
www.nature.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"U.S. intelligence officials last year said they believed Russia was pursuing a project to place a nuclear weapon in space. The detonation of a nuclear bomb in orbit could muck up the space environment for years, indiscriminately disabling countless satellites."

arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...
It’s hunting season in orbit as Russia’s killer satellites mystify skywatchers
“Once more, we play our dangerous game—a game of chess—against our old adversary.”…
arstechnica.com
space-environment.bsky.social
"The #SpaceForce has had the de facto mission to manage space traffic for decades; if TracCSS goes away now, that mission will fall back to the Space Force at a time when the service’s military mission is already growing."

www.airandspaceforces.com/space-force-...

#SpaceEnvironment #SpaceDebris
Space Force Adjusts as Commerce Cuts Space Traffic Management Program | Air & Space Forces Magazine
The Space Force and industry groups oppose Trump administration plans to cut a new civilian Space Traffic Management system in fiscal 2026.
www.airandspaceforces.com