The ozone layer that protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays is getting harmed by the Elon Musk Starlink satellites. The research published in the Geophysical Research Letter by researchers from the University of Southern California has made this claim.
There are currently 8,000 satellites that are orbiting the Earth in low orbit, and 6,000 are Starlink. After their life span of around 5 years, these satellites die off in the space atmosphere.
As a result, these satellites release heavy amounts of aluminium oxide gas, which could be responsible for the ozone layer depletion, said a researcher from the University of Southern California.
A small satellite, when burned, produces aluminium oxide of about 30 kg. According to the researcher, in 2022, the satellites produced 17 tons of aluminium oxide.
The demand for the global internet is increasing, and that will increase the number of satellite launches in space. To meet the demand for the internet, the Space X spaceflight company of Elon Musk, along with the tech giant Amazon, has planned to release satellites into space, and the number of launches goes above 12,000.
With all the combined launches, scientists have estimated that 350 tons of aluminium oxide will be released each year. This is making the scientists concerned about the environmental impact they are causing.
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