Astronomy v the Billionaires' Space Race
13 February 2026 - 13 February 2026
6–7 pm
Region(s): Wellington
Type(s): presentations
With nearly 10,000 Starlink satellites in space, are there too many to see the stars properly? Astronomers are worried.
The billionaire space race is well under way. SpaceX has already launched 10,000 satellites. You can easily see them with the naked eye. The company plans to launch another 30,000 satellites – but they are already having an impact on astronomy.
Falcon 9 rocket launch
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches from the Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral in January 2022. This Starlink 4-6 mission delivered 49 satellites into orbit.
Starlink satellites are the number one source of collision hazard in Earth's orbit. Each one weighs 800 kg. They are also a hazard to us on Earth. The speaker, Dr Samantha Lawler, lives on Canada's prairies, and has been studying the proliferation of satellites in orbit over the past few years. She was stunned to learn how often space debris falls close to her home.
Find out what happens when you find space debris on your farm and silent SpaceX employees show up in a rented truck to collect it.
The race between SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others has important implications for international law, the continued operation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit, atmospheric pollution, and the future of astronomy, as Dr Samantha Lawler will explain.
About the Speaker:
Dr Samantha Lawler is professor of astronomy at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. She completed degrees at the California Institute of Technology, Wesleyan University, and the University of British Columbia, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Victoria (Canada) and NRC-Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre.
Her discoveries in the Kuiper Belt and predictions for satellite pollution have been featured by BBC, CBC, CNN, NPR, BBC, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Wired Magazine, Nature, and many other international news outlets. She lives on a farm outside Regina and deeply appreciates the beautiful prairie skies.
Location: Rutherford House, 33 Bunny Street, Wellington.
For more information on this free event and to register to reserve your place, go to: www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/astronomy-v-the-billionaires-space-race-registration-1980584363146.
Related content
Check out these articles below, specifically related to this event's topic:
Space debris – research in Aotearoa into the detection and avoidance of space junk and the future removal of it.
Space junk – this article provides a historical look at this decades-old problem.
Capturing space junk and bringing it back to Earth – investigations into different ways to capture defunct satellites and other space junk and bring them back to Earth.
For more, browse the wide range of resources under our Astronomy or Satellites topics.
See our space junk Pinterest board – a curation of articles and resources on space junk and the work looking into solutions happening here in New Zealand
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