For the first time, scientists have directly observed metal pollutants leaching from a piece of orbital junk: a SpaceX rocket as it burned in the atmosphere. Such pollutants can damage the ozone layer, meaning the findings will help monitor potential harms from space debris, researchers report February 19 in Communications Earth and Environment.
While humans have been launching metal things to orbit for nearly 70 years, the pace has skyrocketed in the past decade. Private companies plan to escalate this in the near future — for instance, SpaceX’s Starlink system, which provides internet to far-flung places, will eventually consist of more than 40,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Nearly 10,000