Stratospheric Al2O3 aerosols from space exploration are a phenomenon studied since at least the 1980's. Space Shuttle pollution probably dwarfs all of these modern sources, since aluminum was the primary fuel for the STS solid rocket boosters (about 160 tons Al per launch if I mathed right).
- "The most probable source of the increasingly abundant classes of stratospheric particles are aerospace activities. As these activities increase, so will the flux of anthropogenic material into the atmosphere[Kessler, 1985; Johnson,1985]. It is possible to predict the composition of these particles from a knowledge of the most commonly used spacecraft materials. There should be four main sources for solid particulate aerospace material in the stratosphere.These are (1) solid rocket fuel exhaust, (2) solid rocket motor (SRM) ablation, (3) thermal reflective paint from the outer hulls of spacecraft,and (4) ablating hardware from satellites and discarded rocket sections in low-Earth orbit."
- "It is well known that solid rocket fuel containing an aluminum additive produces spherical grains composed predominently of alumina when burned, and these particles have previously been noted among stratospheric particle collections [Brownlee et ai., 1976; Zolensky and Mackinnon, 1985]. The use of SRMs has increased steadily since the advent of the space shuttle, in 1981, to a peak in 1985."
https://sci-hub.se/10.1029/jd094id01p01047 ("A tenfold increase in the abundance of large solid particles in the stratosphere, as measured over the period 1976–1984" (1989))
I don't buy for one second the sudden urgency to halt critical US/NATO military space capabilities for a phenomenon that's been studied for 40+ years with no obvious major issues.
Am I missing something, or are we talking about two different things - commercial vs. military usage? Starlink is not a military asset. Well, not for the US at least. Ukrane and Russia, certainly.
- "The most probable source of the increasingly abundant classes of stratospheric particles are aerospace activities. As these activities increase, so will the flux of anthropogenic material into the atmosphere[Kessler, 1985; Johnson,1985]. It is possible to predict the composition of these particles from a knowledge of the most commonly used spacecraft materials. There should be four main sources for solid particulate aerospace material in the stratosphere.These are (1) solid rocket fuel exhaust, (2) solid rocket motor (SRM) ablation, (3) thermal reflective paint from the outer hulls of spacecraft,and (4) ablating hardware from satellites and discarded rocket sections in low-Earth orbit."
- "It is well known that solid rocket fuel containing an aluminum additive produces spherical grains composed predominently of alumina when burned, and these particles have previously been noted among stratospheric particle collections [Brownlee et ai., 1976; Zolensky and Mackinnon, 1985]. The use of SRMs has increased steadily since the advent of the space shuttle, in 1981, to a peak in 1985."
https://sci-hub.se/10.1029/jd094id01p01047 ("A tenfold increase in the abundance of large solid particles in the stratosphere, as measured over the period 1976–1984" (1989))
I don't buy for one second the sudden urgency to halt critical US/NATO military space capabilities for a phenomenon that's been studied for 40+ years with no obvious major issues.