Satellite boom sparks worries over orbital collisions, light pollution and space junk

Space is vast. But are certain parts of space in danger of becoming overcrowded with Internet satellites and cosmic junk? Concern has been increasing among government agencies, astronomers and others as the number of launched and proposed low-Earth orbit satellites surges. Worries center on the increased risk of collisions that create debris fields capable of taking out nearby satellites; bright reflections that harm scientific astronomy and change the night sky; atmospheric pollution from thousands of deorbiting satellites burning up every few years; and radio signal interference that blocks ...