
E1828 - Why Elon’s million satellites could spell disaster
Published: February 22, 2026
Duration: 15:36
Elon Musk and his SpaceX team want to launch up to one million satellites as part of a proposal to power massive data centres in space.
They pitch it as a clean, green alternative to regular data centres. But as Earth’s orbit becomes increasingly crowded, what will Elon’s mega constellation do to our night sky? And could a crash between satellites set off a catastrophic chain reaction?
Today, Associate Professor of Astronomy Sam Lawler on the potential for disaster, the need for new space laws, and the time a huge piece of space junk...