Manic dope fiend Elon Musk’s satellites are falling out of the sky

Is this potentially some sort of problem? Who knows? Certainly not Elon Musk, who runs several huge companies all at the same time while being one of the world’s 20 best players at a video game that you have to play 16 hours a day to be really good at.

 As many as 120 Starlink satellites operated by SpaceX crashed back to Earth in January 2025. This incident has raised significant concerns among scientists and environmentalists about the potential impact on atmospheric pollution.

Starlink, a satellite network developed by SpaceX, aims to provide low-cost internet access to remote locations. However, as the constellation expands, the rate of satellite orbits has increased dramatically. Astronomers tracking these objects noted that over 120 Starlink satellites re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in January alone, creating spectacular fireballs as they burnt up. . .

While the re-entries produce visually stunning fireballs, they also raise concerns about atmospheric pollution. The disintegration of satellites releases metallic vapours, including aluminium oxide, which can deplete the ozone layer. A 2023 study found that 10% of aerosols collected 60,000 feet above Alaska contained aluminium and other metals from satellite burn-up.

Despite these environmental concerns, SpaceX designs its Starlink satellites to fully demise upon re-entry, posing no threat to public safety and creating no orbital debris. However, scientists warn that the increased rate of re-entry could alter atmospheric chemistry in unpredictable ways.

This incident shows the growing challenges associated with space debris and the need for sustainable practices in satellite deployment. As SpaceX continues to expand its Starlink constellation, it will be crucial to address these environmental impacts to ensure a safer and cleaner space environment.    

Sounds like one of those tricky “externalities” that governments need to regulate because hyper-capitalism will sell your grandmother to a cat food manufacturer if it would make some Lord of Free Enterprise an extra fifty cents.

Seven years ago today I posted a video of Musk firing a massive symbolic phallus into the aether:

Real-life Bond villain Elon Musk launched a giant rocket today, cheered on by creepily adoring crowds of over-caffeinated nerds.

Many commenters were very offended by this deeply unfair characterization of this puckish visionary’s increasingly prominent gambols through our collective consciousness. After all as billionaires go Musk was clearly one of the good ones.

Whoops.