The UK is taking a more active role in orbital sustainability. Its government has pledged £60 million, or $80.5 million, for a space cleanup mission. The plan uses a dedicated spacecraft with “giant robotic claws,” targeting two dead satellites by 2032.
The first mission is planned for 2029. Officials describe it as a “world first.” That ambition matters for telecoms, because satellites now support broadband, backhaul, emergency links, and global IoT services.
However, the scale remains daunting. Removing two satellites will not transform orbital safety. Governments track hundreds of thousands of objects around Earth. These include inactive satellites, spacecraft fragments, and debris from past collisions.
As a result, active satellites must perform more avoidance maneuvers. The 2009 collision between an Iridium satellite and a defunct Russian satellite showed the risk clearly. More debris means higher collision risk. A chain reaction could make some orbits unusable.
Meanwhile, megaconstellations add more pressure. Starlink and Amazon plan large satellite fleets for global connectivity. These networks can expand broadband access. Yet they also increase the number of objects in orbit.
Today, operators often remove satellites through guided descent. That process burns satellites during re-entry. Researchers have linked this to possible atmospheric emissions. So, cleanup technology offers a useful alternative, even at limited scale.
At the same time, space is attracting another proposal. Some analysts expect future data centers to move into orbit. FDM CCS Insight predicts that by 2030 a country or “major company” may target 25% of data centers in space.
Back on Earth, data centers face their own scrutiny. Google is investing $13 billion in Finnish data center capacity. The company faces criticism over forest clearing across 530 hectares. Police are reportedly investigating whether some activity was illegal.
In the UK, energy firm Drax plans a data center linked to biomass power. Critics say it could burn 4.9 million tonnes of wood yearly. Drax argues replanting forests can balance emissions over time. Some experts say that balance could take 150 years.
These issues directly affect telecom strategy. Operators increasingly use AI for automation, customer services, and network optimization. Nokia and Nvidia are also advancing AI-RAN for live networks. Finnish operator Elisa will validate the technology commercially.
Yet the environmental footprint keeps growing. Basel Action Network warned of an “unprecedented tsunami of rapidly obsolescent electronic equipment.” It also said data centers may become “point sources of hazardous waste, requiring disposal of massive amounts of this toxic waste every 2–3 years.”
Still, telecoms can pursue cleaner growth. Telefónica has updated its climate action plan. The operator says climate transition opportunities could outweigh key risk costs nearly threefold. Its approach links sustainability with investment decisions, risk analysis, and internal carbon pricing.
