A new petition filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is demanding an immediate review of plans to launch orbital datacenters into space, citing concerns over potential environmental destruction. Environmental groups and industry experts warn that the projects proposed by companies like SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin could release levels of pollution capable of altering the Earth’s atmosphere in catastrophic ways.
The petition, submitted by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), Earthjustice, and DarkSky International, argues that these plans violate federal law. It calls for a pause on all new license applications for space-based datacenter projects. While proponents describe the technology as epochal and civilization-changing, critics argue that these companies have failed to address the environmental, scientific, and economic impacts of their proposals.
Scientists express deep concern that satellites and rockets burning up upon re-entry are accumulating alarming levels of black soot, rare metals, and aluminum oxides in the stratosphere. There is significant fear that this pollution could damage the ozone layer, potentially increasing human exposure to ultraviolet radiation and destabilizing the planet during the ongoing climate crisis. Furthermore, the sheer volume of millions of satellites could lead to substantial light pollution, threatening nocturnal wildlife such as fireflies and other insects.
Steve Volz, the former head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) satellite office, questioned the feasibility of the projects and noted the environmental risks associated with filling the atmosphere with debris. Cole Donovan, a former Noaa space policy expert with the non-profit Stand Up for Science, added that these datacenters would require vast quantities of rare metals and resources, creating further environmental strain on the ground.
The number of active satellites has grown from approximately 1,400 in 2015 to 15,000 today, with projections reaching 100,000 within the decade, excluding potential datacenter networks. Currently, much of this pollution is attributed to mega-constellations like Starlink and Amazon’s broadband projects. Spacecraft can cause problems on their way up and down. Launches emit a range of emissions like black carbon, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, aluminum oxide, chlorine gases and, once in orbit, mercury. When satellites are decommissioned five to 15 years later, they release metals as they vaporize. That’s injecting pollutants into previously pristine parts of the stratosphere, a highly sensitive system, and there’s very little understanding of the consequences.
Legal advocates contend that the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa) mandates that federal agencies assess the environmental impacts of proposed projects. The proliferation of satellites raises a raft of new legal and environmental questions. The petition claims Congress requires the FCC to determine “whether the public interest, convenience, and necessity will be served by the granting” of an application to operate a satellite. The petition highlights the Cowboy Space Corporation, founded by the billionaire co-CEO of Robinhood, which plans to launch a 20,000-satellite system starting in 2028. Critics point out that the company’s application provides minimal detail regarding environmental mitigation, promising only to minimize impacts on the astronomy community.
Ultimately, the tech companies’ FCC applications provide no meaningful consideration of environmental consequences, the petition states. The petition concludes that tech companies have failed to provide satisfactory explanations for how they will mitigate the cumulative environmental damage caused by millions of satellites orbiting, colliding, and eventually plummeting back to Earth.
“There is a lot of complex material in these things, and even if they do burn up, you do not want to be filling up the atmosphere with refuse from these any more than you would want it coming from a smoke stack,” Volz said. Volz was with the agency until he was put on leave and eventually fired under the Trump administration.
Facing fierce public opposition from across the political spectrum to its datacenters on Earth, big tech last year began floating the idea of launching satellite datacenters into space. Some have begun seeking permits.
