Potential Perturbation of the Ionosphere by Megaconstellations and Corresponding Artificial Re-entry Plasma Dust
2023/12/06 by S. Solter-Hunt, Solter-Hunt, S. · 13 voices
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Space Satellite Systems and Control #astro-ph.EP #astro-ph.SR #physics.ao-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2312.09329
openalex publication_date 2023/12/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract
500,000 to 1 million satellites are expected in the next decades, primarily to build internet constellations called megaconstellations. These megaconstellations are disposable and will constantly re-enter and be replaced, hence creating a layer of conductive particulate. Here it will be shown that the mass of the conductive particles left behind from worldwide distribution of re-entry satellites is already billions of times greater than the mass of the Van Allen Belts. From a preliminary analysis, the Debye length in spaceflight regions is significantly higher than non-spaceflight regions according to CCMC ionosphere data. As the megaconstellations grow, the Debye length of the satellite particulate may exceed that of the cislunar environment and create a conductive layer around the earth worldwide. Thus, satellite reentries may create a global band of plasma dust with a charge higher than the rest of the magnetosphere. Therefore, perturbation of the magnetosphere from conductive satellites and their plasma dust layer should be expected and should be a field of intensive research. Human activity is not only impacting the atmosphere, it is clearly impacting the ionosphere.
Discussions
- Important and scary new paper on satellite megaconstellations: we may be creating a conductive band of plasma dust around the earth arxiv.org/abs/2312.09329 [bsky, 121 points, 7 comments]
- 2023: Solter-Hunt postulates that as megaconstellations of satellites grow, reentries may create a global band of plasma dust with a charge higher than the rest of the magnetosphere, and is clearly im [bsky, 4 points, 1 comments]
- Potential Perturbation of the Ionosphere by Megaconstellations [hn, 3 points, 1 comments]
- "satellite reentries may create a global band of plasma dust with a charge higher than the rest of the magnetosphere ... Human activity is not only impacting the atmosphere, it is clearly impacting th [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]
- Huch das hatte ich noch gar nicht auf dem Schirm 🤷 Satelliten Megakonstellationen könnten das Erdmagnetfeld beeinflussen durch Metall Eintrag in die Atmosphäre. [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- Space debris could weaken Earth's magnetic field [hn, 1 points, 1 comments]
- Not to mention destroying the ionosphere arxiv.org/abs/2312.09329 [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- Interesting article. The atmospheric impacts of planned (and unplanned) 'disposal' of orbital debris is also cause for concern. arxiv.org/abs/2312.09329 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- It's not about 'punching holes'. These are potential effects yet to be thoroughly researched as increasing numbers of decayed satellites pollute Earth's atmosphere. Re ozone it's Al oxides catalysing [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- Musk's Starlink megaconstellation of satellites could already be damaging the Earth's magnetic field. Which if you think "so what?" the Earth's magnetic field protects us from Cosmic Rays & Solar Stor [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- New scary science paper just dropped: "[megaconstellation] satellite reentries may create a global band of plasma dust with a charge higher than the rest of the magnetosphere" arxiv.org/abs/2312.09329 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- No wonder Elon Musk is keen to leave Earth for Mars; he is pioneering unprecedented pollution of the Earth's ionosphere, the consequences of which are a massive unknown, and not in a good way. arxiv.o [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
- The bad news is that we may have to wind up figuring out how to live without a magnetosphere on earth eventually, as re-entering satellites (e.g. Statlink) deposit charged plasma dust in our ionospher [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]
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