Megaconstellations of satellites are burning up in our atmosphere. That could have consequences

There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions). But there are far larger objects in space, including spent rocket stages and upwards of 9,000 functioning satellites. More than half of them are SpaceX Starlinks, which provide internet services.

As of publication, there are roughly 5,200 Starlink satellites, but SpaceX has plans to put up upwards of 42,000.

A new study, published last week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, suggests that the particles left behind could potentially affect our ozone layer.

And in a study published in October in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists, several scientists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) examined particles in the stratosphere.

The researchers were surprised to find a variety of vapourized metals in the stratosphere that they linked to satellites and spent rocket boosters.