Open Letter to Elon Musk

Dear Mr. Musk,

I'm pretty sure, you'll never read this. Why should you read any letter, written by average people and posted on a trivial homepage?

Even if it is as it is, I ask you to read, to listen and to understand!

This letter is about your Starlink project and what it means to me. As you can easily see on my homepage I'm hobby astronomer but that's only one aspect of what I have to say.

I'm sure, that Starlink means to you, to face a new challenge, to bring informational freedom into any corner of this planet and to make a lot of money, of course. From your point of view it's a tremendous technical and economical step forward. If it works, you'll bring new opportunities, educational progress and new business even to Tristan de Cunha or the South Pole! And you show up those countries, were the free access to infomation is still blocked.

Very good! But what is the price, (not only) we all have to pay?

The truth is, that all the things I mentioned above will be worthless, when Starlink should get fully operational in future!

The truth is, that you don't do a terrific thing, that will catapult the human society to new levels. The truth is, that you prepare the biggest crime, a man has ever done!

The biggest crime, because Starlink effects not only all human beings on this planet, it effects every creature living on this planet! The nightsky is an absolute vital part of our existence. And it belongs to all of us! It is part of our collective memory, it is part of our history and science and we all, including you and me, are made of stardust and are part of this universe. In flora and fauna an uncountable number of life-forms need the nightsky for multiple purposes.

What gives you the right to destroy our view into the universe?

What gives you the right to obstruct space exploration?

What may historians write about you?

Elon Musk was an Einstein of Business? Or Elon Musk was so unspeakable egoistic, that he did not only a crime against humanity, he commited a crime against the whole planet? I'm sure it will be my second proposal. What will all your starlink gifts be worth, if the price for it was so fundamental that it detoriates our lives and those of future generations for a long time? Nothing?

What if we miss a NEO on it's way to hit our planet, because it was covered by your supershiny satellites? Concerning this issue, you'll regress our abilities to discover such objects back to the level the dinosaurs once had.

I think, as a consequence of Starlink most of my astro fotos will get ruined by your satellites. Taking pics of astronomical objects needs a lot of efforts, equipment and preparation. So how do you like the idea, that I sue you for every astro foto, that will be ruined by your satellites? And how would it be, if I ask all astronomers on this planet, to do the same? Think about the aspect, that Starlink could get much more expensive for you! And what if a future judge decides, that Starlink is illegal and you've gotta remove your toys from the orbits they pollute?

I know, you'll never think like me about Starlink but I want you to think about it!

Stop your biggest error now! Stop Starlink today!

Regards,
Frank Lambracht
Hanover, Germany