Potential LEO Dangers to Space Sustainability Need Better Understanding, Inmarsat CEO Says

The sustainability of outer space is threatened by the debris threat from low earth orbit mega constellations, increasing aluminum in the upper atmosphere from satellite re-entries, and orbital congestion, Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri said Tuesday at the Royal Aeronautical Engineering Conference, in prepared remarks. "If these mega-constellations gave us immediate access to something we do not have today, or that we can't get in less risky ways, they might be worth considering," he said. "But, they do not, and I do not think it makes me a Luddite to say let’s understand more now rather than regret things later." He added "there is a role for LEO constellations," and said a "small and highly targeted LEO satellite constellation" will be part of Inmarsat's planned Orchestra mesh network of satellite and terrestrial 5G capabilities.