Too many satellites? Is Earth’s orbit headed for catastrophe?

Here’s an astronomer’s view of a star obscured by streaks from Starlink satellites. Are there too many satellites in orbit around Earth? Image via Rafael Schmall/ NOIRLab.

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• The number of satellites is growing rapidly with tens of thousands active and potentially over a million proposed. This raises risks of orbital crowding, collisions, light pollution, environmental harm and long-term damage to the night sky.