theSIGNAL SCIENCE
24 July 2026
"We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."
NEWSBUSINESSTECHNOLOGYWORLDSCIENCECULTUREENVIRONMENTSPORT
Science

Orbital Data Centres Could Poison Earth's Stratosphere

Tech giants want to build millions of data centres in space, but scientists warn the pollution could shatter the ozone layer and alter the planet's atmosphere forever.

Here is a number that should stop you mid-scroll: millions. That is how many "orbital data centres" companies including SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin have collectively proposed launching into orbit. The plans require approval from the US Federal Communications Commission, and right now they are moving forward — fast. What happens when those satellites eventually fall back to Earth?

They burn up on re-entry. That sounds clean, even elegant. But the burning releases black soot, aluminium oxides, rare metals and a cocktail of other pollutants directly into the stratosphere — the atmospheric layer that sits roughly 15 to 50 kilometres above our heads. Scientists are alarmed because these substances are already accumulating up there at levels that nobody fully understands.

Some researchers fear the contamination could erode the ozone layer, which shields life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Others warn that the light from millions of satellites would permanently scar the night sky. Three non-profit organisations — Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Earthjustice, and DarkSky International — have filed a formal petition urging the FCC to pause all new licences for these projects. Their argument is blunt: the plans violate federal law, and the companies pushing them have refused to allow any independent review of their environmental consequences.

Photo: SpaceX / Unsplash
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, trailing the pollution debate into orbit.
Discuss
  • Why might governments approve projects before their environmental effects are fully understood?
  • The petition claims the plans 'violate federal law' — what responsibilities do companies have to follow environmental regulations?
  • Should the ozone layer be considered a global commons that no single country or company can damage? Why or why not?
Science

Nature's Fireworks Are Coming Tonight

Every August, Earth crashes through a trail of debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle — and the result is one of the sky's most reliable free shows. Tiny fragments, some no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up at 59 kilometres per second to produce the Perseid meteor shower. At its peak, observers in dark locations across Europe, Asia, and North America can spot up to 100 meteors per hour. No telescope is needed — just patience, a blanket, and a sky far from city lights. Here is the strange part: those brilliant streaks of light are essentially cosmic litter. What looks like magic is actually a planet walking through ancient rubbish.…
  • Should cities dim their lights during peak meteor showers to help skygazers?
∞
You do not want to be filling up the atmosphere with refuse from these any more than you would want to be filling up the oceans.
Steve Volz, former head of the NOAA Satellite Office
Science

Moon Landing Rehearsal Set for 2027

In 2027, four astronauts will climb into Orion, launch on NASA's SLS rocket — and never actually land on the Moon. That is the plan, and it is deliberate. The Artemis III mission is a dress rehearsal, not a premiere. Crews will practise docking with two uncrewed lunar landers in orbit: a SpaceX Starship prototype and a Blue Origin Blue Moon cabin. No boots touch the surface. Why bother? Every near-miss of danger caught in orbit is one less risk that follows a crew down to the lunar dust in 2028.…
  • Should NASA rely on private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin for Moon landings?
GLOBAL · Science
‘Most people don’t know we’ve set up a doomsday system’: physicist Laura Grego on satellites, nuclear weapons and the battle for our skies
WORLD · Science
Could AI be conscious?
AFRICA · Science
Even camels can't cope: Africa's ships of the desert hit by rising temperatures
ASIA · Science
In a first, Chinese woman wins the prestigious Fields Medal
theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
accumulatingerode
contaminationfeasibledebris
rehearsalpetition
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Reported speech — statements, questions, commands with tense shift
When reporting what someone said, the verb tense typically shifts back one step (e.g. present → past, past → past perfect), and pronouns and time expressions also change to match the new context.
had refused · were · would change · warned · asked · had accumulated · urged · doubted
  1. Steve Volz said that you not want to be filling up the atmosphere with refuse from burned satellites.
  2. Scientists warned that these substances already at dangerous levels in the stratosphere.
  3. Some researchers feared that the contamination civilisation in ways nobody had voted for.
  4. Several former US space officials quietly admitted that they the orbital data centres were even technically feasible.
  5. The three non-profit organisations the FCC to pause all new licences for these projects.
  6. Observers reported that tiny fragments of Comet Swift-Tuttle up at 59 kilometres per second during the Perseids.
3DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
Complete each phrase with the correct preposition. All from today's articles.
  1. Scientists are alarmed ___ the accumulation of pollutants in the stratosphere.
  2. The organisations filed a petition urging the FCC to pause all new licences ___ these projects.
  3. Earth crashes ___ a trail of debris left behind by a comet every August.
  4. The contamination could erode the ozone layer, which shields life ___ harmful ultraviolet radiation.
  5. Crews will practise docking ___ two uncrewed lunar landers in orbit.
4CRITICAL THINKING
The article notes that the same companies blocking environmental studies are the ones describing their projects as 'civilisation-changing.' Who should have the power to define what counts as progress — corporations, governments, scientists, or the public — and how should disagreements between these groups be resolved when the stakes are planetary?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
The article compares Perseid meteors — natural debris burning in the atmosphere — to the man-made pollutants released when satellites re-enter. Write a short paragraph arguing whether this comparison is a fair one, or whether it dangerously blurs an important distinction.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong using words from the articles or related vocabulary. The first word is given.
  • concerned→→
  • unlikely→→
  • ___________→→
  • rehearsal→→
  • debris→→
  • ___________→→
8SPEAKING
  1. Should individuals be able to sue companies for light pollution?
  2. Is a dress rehearsal mission worth billions of dollars?
  3. Can ancient cosmic debris ever truly belong to anyone?
  4. Who should fund independent environmental reviews of satellite projects?