There are some measurements we are not able to do in space (until we have habitats in orbit) due to tuning and experimentation required, size and heating/coolin

There are some measurements we are not able to do in space (until we have habitats in orbit) due to tuning and experimentation required, size and heating/cooling constraints ... However some new experiments can be done in space, so some branches of astronomy will loose, a few selected will win. The environmental argument is an interesting one and i have no idea on the total lifetime damage of both solutions. The heaviest digging will be required where there are humans living any way. Laying cables and maintenance while probably more expensive also has some benefits such a high paying jobs, distributed all over the world instead of increasing the worlds Gini coefficient further. I would recognize Starlink as a good idea (outweighing the negatives) if it would be public infrastructure but that train has sailed.