SpaceX’s Acquisition of 800MHz Spectrum and 1 Million Megaconstellation Satellites: A Scientific Diagnosis of Ozone Layer Depletion and Atmospheric Environmental Disaster

Elon Musk-led SpaceX has officially announced its participation in the bidding process to acquire approximately $6 billion (around 8 trillion KRW) worth of 800MHz low-band wireless spectrum, currently being sold by private equity firm Grain Management. This large-scale spectrum acquisition is deeply interpreted as a massive hegemony-seeking move in wireless communications, aimed at directly occupying and controlling ground mobile infrastructure beyond its current “Starlink Direct to Cell” service, which has relied on traditional terrestrial telecom giants like T-Mobile.

However, SpaceX’s project to construct a 1-million-satellite Low Earth Orbit (LEO) AI Orbital Data Center Constellation, recently filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is proceeding without any prior Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or scientific safety verification. This plan now faces stern warnings from global academic communities and Earth science experts, who caution that it could cause irreversible damage to Earth’s ozone layer and lead to severe environmental disasters in the upper atmosphere.

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1. The Lack of Pre-Safety Testing in Space Data Centers vs. Medical Clinical Trials (Phase 3)

When commercializing new pharmaceuticals or cancer vaccines that directly affect human life, candidate drugs undergo rigorous Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials lasting several years. Only after proving human safety and long-term harmlessness do patient administration and market authorization take place.

In stark contrast, space AI data center projects—which deploy and dispose of massive satellite constellations numbering from hundreds of thousands to one million in Earth’s upper atmosphere—operate entirely differently. These projects conduct a high-risk environmental experiment targeting the entire global atmosphere and the survival of all humankind, yet lack any rigorous scientific impact assessment or regulating legal framework.

• Rapid Replacement Cycles Beyond Mere Telecommunications: Due to the rapid technological obsolescence of high-performance GPUs and ultra-fast semiconductor chips, LEO AI data center satellites face structural limitations requiring expired satellites to be deorbited, burned up in the atmosphere, and continuously replaced with new high-performance units every 3 to 5 years.
• Annual Atmospheric Re-entry Combustion Disasters: To maintain a 1-million-satellite mega-constellation, tens to hundreds of thousands of heavy satellites must re-enter Earth’s atmosphere each year, directly releasing massive quantities of toxic substances into the stratosphere.

2. Chemical Mechanisms of Ozone Layer Depletion and Atmospheric Disasters Grounded in Scientific Evidence

According to recent findings from European Union (EU) space research institutions and leading global research teams (including UCL and NOAA), the process of satellites re-entering the atmosphere and burning up due to frictional heat releases vast quantities of substances that critically impact the upper atmosphere.

• Increase in Aluminum Oxide Vapor: Aluminum, the primary component of satellite structures, vaporizes and burns in the stratosphere to produce ultrafine aluminum oxide particles. These fine particles act as powerful catalysts, directly decomposing and destroying the ozone layer that shields Earth from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation.
• Accumulation of Black Carbon (Soot) in the Upper Atmosphere: Black carbon emitted by satellite launch vehicle propulsion systems, unlike ground emissions, remains in the windless, rainless upper atmosphere for years. This interferes with solar reflection and severely distorts radiative forcing, exacerbating global climate instability.
• Stratospheric Aerosol Heavy Metal Pollution: Heavy metals—including aluminum, lithium, copper, and cobalt—are injected directly into the stratosphere in quantities far exceeding natural annual meteor showers. This carries a high risk of causing a global solar dimming effect and altering atmospheric circulation, leading to unpredictable extreme weather phenomena.

3. Global Solidarity and the Role of Civil Society Against Corporate Monopoly Hegemony

Technological hegemonism that prioritizes commercial interests to monopolize terrestrial mobile communications and space AI data centers is plunging the stratospheric atmosphere and ozone layer—a shared global commons—into irreversible danger.

To safeguard a sustainable future for humanity and preserve Earth’s environment, global solidarity and regulatory frameworks across three distinct dimensions are urgently required:

• Legislation of Environmental Impact Assessments (NEPA) by International Organizations (UN, UNEP, FCC, etc.): Immediately freeze approval procedures for 1-million-satellite constellations that lack objective scientific safety verification, making rigorous impact assessments mandatory.
• Establishment of Space E-Waste and Re-entry Emission Limits: Implement strict regulations limiting the use of aluminum and toxic metals in satellite construction while reinforcing legal thresholds for allowable re-entry substances.
• Global Citizen and Subscriber Solidarity Signatures and Public Awareness: Establish voluntary monitoring systems and launch an international space-environment protection movement to counteract the reckless expansion of Big Tech companies into space territory.

Earth’s ozone layer is a critical shield for human survival that requires decades to recover once depleted. Rigorous scientific oversight and international cooperation are more urgent than ever to halt unchecked corporate monopolies and secure the environmental safety of Earth’s atmosphere.