Imagine a futuristic world where high-speed internet flows through every nook and cranny on our home planet. Even the lands of Africa would be prospering with advanced technology just like Wakanda. Elon Musk’s StarLink mission will satisfy all of one’s needs. All of this seems too good to be true, and that is sadly correct. In order to determine the true value of StarLink, one has to first consider the consequences. StarLink is not a great idea because it will obscure the view of the night sky and also render Earth as a more vulnerable planet.
The article Elon Musk’s SpaceX will launch another 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit around the Earth tonight bringing the total number to 482 highlights Elon Musk’s StarLink mission that will launch over 12,000 satellites in total to upgrade internet speeds. All of this sounds great, as this monstrous amount of satellites can provide people with better internet. Although this may be true, the satellites also block out a significant view of the sky. The article states the satellites will be visible from every point on Earth, which further worsens the problem. A considerable amount of scientists and stargazers have argued these satellites will erase the beautiful night sky previously known to mankind. Elon Musk attempts to solve this problem by using visors to limit the reflective light bouncing off of the satellites, but the article suggests the satellites will still be visible from Earth. Even though the satellites would be less bright, they could still interfere with the work of sky gazers and be misinterpreted as newly discovered stars. Furthermore, the flashy satellites will also confuse the radars on Earth and limit their range and accuracy due to the massive wall of bright satellites. It would also be more difficult to plan when to launch rockets into space because there is a much high probability of the rocket colliding with satellites. The StarLink mission would be a disaster as it produces a blockage to outer space.
Not only does StarLink block a vision of the outside world, but it also makes planet Earth more vulnerable to dangers. A diagram on the website depicts the distance at which the satellites will orbit. The distance between the core of the Earth to the crust is about 4 times wider than the distance from the crust to the satellites. With a bit of math, it is concluded that the volume of the area enclosed by the satellites is slightly over 1.9, or 1.25^3, times as spacious the volume of the Earth. This increases the risk of being hit by an asteroid over a given period of time by a whopping 90%. In this case, when an asteroid hits, there will be a 47% chance of it destroying the satellite orbits, and 53% of it hitting Earth. Both of these situations are terrible, as the first case will trash billions of dollars into the abyss, and the second case can possibly cause humans to go extinct. Additionally, satellites will theoretically increase the chances of encountering other intelligent life. These alien life forms can have the power to perform unimaginable harm to Earth. Endangering Earth is not something one should do.
Critics may argue that the mission is worth it because it can provide everyone on Earth with high-speed internet, but this viewpoint is blurred. One has to first take into account the true hidden dangers this mission possesses. Even if those aren’t deadly enough, this mission will only provide better internet to those who already have it. Some poorer regions without WiFi will still have no WiFi. It is only the places that already have WiFi whom will receive better WiFi. StarLink is not a mission to help the unfortunate, but one to help the fortunate. Only currently prosperous countries will step further, while poorer countries are still lurking behind waiting to be helped. StarLink does not provide everyone with high-speed internet.
As wondrous as StarLink seems, it is not worth it. Having a massive wall of satellites orbiting Earth will obscure the view of stargazers and also weaken the power of radars. These satellites also significantly increase the probability of a catastrophic asteroid collision or an alien encounter. Always consider something’s consequences before agreeing to it.