Dear Mr Musk,
As the space industry becomes commercialised and more satellites are being launched than ever before, it is only a matter of time before this progress clouds the future of humanity’s remarkable journey through the stars. One may believe that more satellites in orbit is undoubtedly beneficial, but if you continue to lead the charge down this path with projects like Starlink, it could significantly retard humankind’s future progress. I am writing to warn you of these risks.
The root of the problem is the prioritisation of profits, which is the overarching goal of all corporations. While commercial ventures like Starlink also do good by providing high-quality internet to remote areas, it becomes your job as a visionary CEO to assess the possible damage it could cause before going all-in. Going a step further to analyse these aspects in ideas that seem perfect is extremely crucial. You can never kill the goose and still get the golden eggs.
I want to bring to your attention the impending crisis of debris in the low earth orbit (LEO). As per estimates, 75% of 35,150 tracked objects in orbit are mostly junk, such as broken satellites or discarded rocket parts. Furthermore, there are around 130 million pieces of debris too small to be tracked. With the ability to launch satellites becoming commonplace, even available to students, this problem will only proliferate leaving dangerous consequences in its wake. The Kessler Syndrome is a prediction that foreshadows an apocalyptic collision chain reaction that would render a debris-ridden LEO unusable, boxing humanity onto this planet, which you are so keen to leave!
Starlink already has 5,000 satellites in orbit and plans for a staggering 40,000, that could push the crowded LEO to the tipping point from where a collision chain-reaction will no longer be science fiction but a grim reality. This will be compounded by other projects that aim to replicate Starlink’s commercial success.
Mr Musk, while Starlink has a noble agenda, the consequences that lie ahead for humankind are too dire to brush off. As someone who is inspired by your work, I hope you would channelise efforts to clean up and prevent further build-up of space debris. As a globally respected business leader, you are in a unique position to foster the co-operation required between countries, organisations and companies to make this happen. You may question my place to doubt your business decisions. However, as part of the youth that must sleep in the bed you make for us, I fear our wings would be clipped before we have even taken flight. You have the power to effect real change and humanity is counting on you.
Sincerely,
Apoorv Gupta
