[Robert Urbanek]

The growing amount of debris from satellites may eventually compromise the Earth’s electromagnetic field, allowing more harmful cosmic radiation to reach the planet’s surface, according to Sierra Solter-Hunt, an American physicist.

An extreme, almost apocalyptic scenario could see the weakened magnetosphere allow solar wind to begin stripping away Earth's atmosphere . . . That, however, is certainly not an immediate threat.

The situation could be aggravated by the large number of Starlink satellites being placed into orbit.

https://www.space.com/satellites-re-entering-magnetosphere-effects-study

[late]

The growing amount of debris from satellites may eventually compromise the Earth’s electromagnetic field, allowing more harmful cosmic radiation to reach the planet’s surface, according to Sierra Solter-Hunt, an American physicist.

An extreme, almost apocalyptic scenario could see the weakened magnetosphere allow solar wind to begin stripping away Earth's atmosphere . . . That, however, is certainly not an immediate threat.

The situation could be aggravated by the large number of Starlink satellites being placed into orbit.

https://www.space.com/satellites-re-entering-magnetosphere-effects-study

They will eventually start running into each other. This could cascade until most are small pieces of junk. Anything launched will have to be tough enough to survive an extended shotgun blast. Which will dramatically increase the cost of getting into orbit for generations.

It also means we would have a lot of trouble deflecting a rogue asteroid that wanted to whack us.

[Dr House]

Starlink satellites are designed to deorbit and burn up at the end of their lives though

[Rancid]

Can they just catch all the bits with a giant bag? Like a bag of super badass and thick Kevlar or something?

Just brain storming.

[late]

Can they just catch all the bits with a giant bag? Like a bag of super badass and thick Kevlar or something?

Just brain storming.

What needs doing is getting the dead satellites out of LEO. Some sort of vehicle that can drag them into a lower orbit, or out of orbit and headed towards any other big thing.