Brit astronaut Tim Peake warns Elon Musk's satellites could cause space disaster

28 October 2023 , 15:20

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Tim Peake wants space remains a clean environment

Astronaut Tim Peake has warned that Elon Musk’s internet satellites could cause a space disaster like in hit film Gravity.

Tim says the tycoon’s plan to launch 30,000 Starlink satellites could lead to Kessler syndrome – in which too much space junk wreaks havoc. That was the plot of 2013 film Gravity in which George Clooney and Sandra Bullock play astronauts whose space shuttle is destroyed by cosmic debris.

Tim, who last week announced he will come out of retirement to lead the UK’s first astronaut mission, said: “We need to guard against this. We’ve got about 4,500 Starlink satellites. I think the total is going to be about 30,000. This needs to be regulated and controlled as we need to make sure space remains a clean environment.”

Tim will come out of retirement to lead the UK's first mission (ESA / SWNS)

Tim Peake flew to International Space Station in 2015 as European Space Agency astronaut (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Tim, 51, went on: “In Gravity, there’s a collision of one satellite into another. As soon as you start putting 30,000 satellites into similar orbits, there is the potential for that sort of catastrophic, cascading collision.” Despite the risks, Tim said satellites could play a key role in tackling climate change – and Musk’s SpaceX company was helping to make that a reality.

“One of the most valuable things we can bring back to Earth from space is solar energy,” he said. “You can put solar farms into orbits where they are in sunlight 24/7 and beam the energy back down to Earth. “The sun delivers 7,000 times more energy than we need every day so it could deliver 100% of our needs.

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Elon Musk wants to launch 30,000 Starlink satellites (AFP via Getty Images)

“That would require huge investment but we might not be decades away from it, thanks to Musk. It’s quite exciting.”

After the US, Britain is the second biggest maker of small satellites, with companies like AAC Clyde Space in Glasgow already building high-efficiency solar panels, said Tim.

■ The book Space: The Human Story, by Tim Peake, is out now

Matthew Dresch