The science academies of G7 member countries have identified international space governance as a pressing issue for the G7 Leaders’ Summit, to be held from June 15-17 in Evian, France.

The explosive growth of large satellite constellations over the last decade offers great promise for near-universal access to broadband internet. But this growth comes with risks that are not yet fully understood.

These include contamination of the night sky, disruption of astronomy research, increasing risk of satellite collisions and hazards from large numbers of satellites falling back to Earth.

Read more: A million new SpaceX satellites will destroy the night sky — for everyone on Earth

Our understanding of the human impact on the near-Earth space environment is at a similar stage to our understanding of climate change back in the 1990s. We know that increased human activity is causing large disruptions to the space environment, but whether a tipping point is soon to be reached is not yet clear.

In this context, one of the most significant recommendations for G7 member states is to establish an intergovernmental panel on space sustainability (IPSS).

Impacts on atmospheric chemistry

Research and understanding of human impacts in space is still at a very early stage. For example, we don’t really know when some orbital altitudes will become so........

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