Why Elon’s million satellites could spell disaster

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...