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Satellite launch pollution rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/satellite-launch-pollution-rapidly-accumulating-upper-atmosphere14 May 2026
The potent pollution from so-called “megaconstellation” satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
Publishing in Earth’s Future, the research team examined air pollution produced by the growing number of rocket launches, and the discarded rocket bodies and dead satellites falling back to Earth. The black carbon (soot) generated from these sources lingers in the upper atmosphere far longer than that from ground-based sources, resulting in a 500-fold greater impact on the climate.
Using data from rocket launches and satellite deployments between 2020 and 2022, the team projected emissions out to the end of the decade. The analysis showed that in 2020 these megaconstellations contributed about 35% to the total climate impact from the space sector and will climb to 42% by 2029.
The research also found that the potent air pollution generated by the launch and re-entry of large, disposable satellite systems is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere, decreasing the amount of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. By 2029, the accumulating pollution would have an effect similar to proposed geoengineering techniques, which aim to cool the planet by blocking some sunlight with particles injected into the upper atmosphere.
…
Project lead, Professor Eloise Marais (UCL Geography) said: “The space industry pollution is like a small-scale, unregulated geoengineering experiment that could have many unintended and serious environmental consequences. Currently the impact on the atmosphere is small, so we still have the chance to act early before it becomes a more serious issue that is harder to reverse or repair. So far there has been limited effort to effectively regulate this type of pollution.”
…
Barker, C. R. et al. Radiative Forcing and Ozone Depletion of a Decade of Satellite Megaconstellation Missions. Earth’s Future 14, e2025EF007229 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EF007229
The potent pollution from so-called “megaconstellation” satellite systems launched en masse into space since 2019 will account for nearly half (42%) of the total climate impact of space sector pollution by the end of the decade, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.
Publishing in Earth’s Future, the research team examined air pollution produced by the growing number of rocket launches, and the discarded rocket bodies and dead satellites falling back to Earth. The black carbon (soot) generated from these sources lingers in the upper atmosphere far longer than that from ground-based sources, resulting in a 500-fold greater impact on the climate.
Using data from rocket launches and satellite deployments between 2020 and 2022, the team projected emissions out to the end of the decade. The analysis showed that in 2020 these megaconstellations contributed about 35% to the total climate impact from the space sector and will climb to 42% by 2029.
The research also found that the potent air pollution generated by the launch and re-entry of large, disposable satellite systems is rapidly accumulating in the upper atmosphere, decreasing the amount of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface. By 2029, the accumulating pollution would have an effect similar to proposed geoengineering techniques, which aim to cool the planet by blocking some sunlight with particles injected into the upper atmosphere.
…
Project lead, Professor Eloise Marais (UCL Geography) said: “The space industry pollution is like a small-scale, unregulated geoengineering experiment that could have many unintended and serious environmental consequences. Currently the impact on the atmosphere is small, so we still have the chance to act early before it becomes a more serious issue that is harder to reverse or repair. So far there has been limited effort to effectively regulate this type of pollution.”
…
(The great majority of artificial satellites orbiting the earth belong to one company…)
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