Starlink and Kessler Syndrome, feat. astronomer Samantha Lawler

• Dr. Sam Lawler’s Astronomy Research: “I am an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Campion College, and also part of the Department of Physics in the University of Regina, SK, Canada.”

• @sundogplanets: Sam’s Mastodon account - see this recent thread: “Blue Origin wants 51,600 satellites, all in sun-synchronous orbits.”

• A new space race could turn our atmosphere into a ‘crematorium for satellites’ (by Laura Revell, Michele Bannister, and Samantha Lawler in The Conversation, Feb 26, 2026):

Over the past few years, the number of satellite launches has skyrocketed. There are now nearly 15,000 active satellites in orbit around the Earth, most of them part of “mega-constellations” in which each satellite has a service life of only a few years.

New satellites must be quickly launched as replacements. To avoid leaving old, dead satellites in Earth’s already-crowded low orbits, most satellite operators deliberately de-orbit them into Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Here, they burn up or break apart into smaller pieces: a process known as “demisability”. In effect, satellites have become part of throwaway culture.

That approach is now being taken to a vastly larger scale. We are concerned about the implications for Earth’s climate and atmosphere.

• According to Jonathan McDowell, as of April 6, 2026:

Active Starlinks in orbit: 10,166
Other active maneuverable payloads in orbit: 3,062
Active non-maneuverable payloads in orbit: 2,066
Total all active payloads in orbit: 15,294

• Study Confirms: Reentering SpaceX Rockets Are Peppering the Upper Atmosphere With Metal Pollution (Gizmodo, Feb 19, 2026)

• Samantha Lawler on the Nov 18, 2024 Techtonic about falling space junk

• Musk's space junk is a threat to us all (by Mark Hurst, Nov 22, 2024)

• Our Mom-and-Pop Data Center (by Jed Feiman and Nehemiah Markos, the New Yorker, April 6, 2026)