this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2026
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Mildly Interesting

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[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 61 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

The more satellites are up there, the higher the chance one is obliterated by space junk or meteorites. The more obliterated satellites, the more space junk.

It's going to be a massacre.

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 27 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Those are in very low earth orbit, basically they can only take out themselves.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yes, but collisions can always accelerate parts and new debris, bringing them to a higher orbit.

[–] turmacar@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

But a more eccentric one, no collision is going to waive away orbital mechanics.

[–] Thorned_Rose@sh.itjust.works 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Starlink is space junk to start with.

[–] 956@piefed.social 8 points 2 weeks ago

It's hard to say that unequivocally; I have family members who's internet options are HughesNet, where they get data caps and speeds approaching a whopping 1mbps on a good day, 5g coverage that hardly works, or Starlink. Starlink has worked for them leeeaaaguesss better than any other option they have.

Doesn't change the issues with the company or Elon, though. It just sucks that they are the only currently viable solution.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

If a cascading series of obliterations happens I could see us being trapped on Earth until some sort of technology is developed to navigate the debris field. Such idiocy allowing things like Starlink to begin with.

[–] herrvogel@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

They're in such a low orbit that they're barely staying in space already. You could explode all Starlink satellites right now and all their debris would naturally fall back into the atmosphere and leave the orbit clean in just a few years at most.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Trapped on earth? Just where do you think we are going to go? Contrary to what you have been told, we are no where near colonizing mars. Or cloud cities on venus, which is more practicable it appears to me. Society will fall apart long before we get there, glances at clock...

[–] neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know if this is what the guy you're replying to meant, but I would also say that not being able to launch new satalites for things like GPS, internet, communications systems, telescopes, space missions, etc. would also qualify as trapping us on earth.

They're our eyes and ears in space, and we use them to work around needing to navigate the terrain on earth to communicate. It's always easier to bounce a signal off satellites than traverse ground terrain.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Good. Let the motherfuckers burn. There is no benefit to working people to these satellites. I hope a cascade of space junk takes out every single one of these low orbit bullshit nazi internet satellites.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Problem is that this space junk hits normal satellites, too.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works -4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Okay but what are these normal satellites doing for us? Spying on foreigners so we can kill them for Israel? Or what? Navigation on our stupid fucking cars we shouldn't even be driving? Fuck them all burn them all down.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You don't like weather forecasts? Or analyzing ground quality and fertility? Not all satellites are evil.

[–] Steamymoomilk@sh.itjust.works -2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

The actual name of this phenomenon is "the Kepler effect"

Its where the decades of space junk, grow to such a degree that they keep hitting other satellites and becomes the equivalent of a pinball machine with other satellites.

Its a big issue many have tried to solve

[–] bandwidthcrisis@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

It's Kessler Syndrome, in case anyone wants to read up on it.

[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Ok hear me out... MAGNETS

Hundreds of em all in a big ball. Tie it to a counterweight and then spin that fucker through lower orbit like a skip-it and soak up all the debris!

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 23 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Has the war of the stars begun?

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Pew pew motherfucker

[–] Barbarian@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 weeks ago

If you stroke me out, I'll become more powerful than you think, or whatever.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 18 points 2 weeks ago

“…But I’d like to hear more about why they assess the risk to be zero.”

Because it’s the company responsible that’s assessing the risk, you sweet summer child.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] bandwidthcrisis@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

That reminds me of the term Lithobraking.

[–] BiggestPiggest@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

The front fell off.

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Doesn't this happen all the time?

And even more so with Starlink satellites?

[–] Shrubbery@piefed.social 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Only when the satellite goes out of the environment.

[–] osanna@lemmy.vg 1 points 2 weeks ago

you mean you towed it to another environment?

[–] fiatcode@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I thought we had Boris the Animal killed

[–] dotCody@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

It's just Boris!

[–] webp@mander.xyz 2 points 2 weeks ago
[–] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

I wish govts would stop Starlink from happening.

It seems like an apocalypse contributor with all that could go wrong. And I can't really see how it could ever outperform terrestrial 5g mesh networks or fiber.

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Don't look up