Elon Musk's new generation of Starlink satellites is raising concerns among Dutch scientists who claim the new satellites will bring fast internet worldwide and are proving to be interference for astronomers on a massive scale.
Thousands of orbiting Starlink satellites "are blinding" radio telescopes, perhaps causing damage to astronomical research, according to researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON). As these telescopes work on radio waves to examine the universe, it makes the collection of clean data much more complicated because of the interference caused by these satellites.
Starlink satellites connect remote areas with broadband internet, be it challenging conditions like in Ukraine and Yemen or the rural districts of the UK, for that matter. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport reported how tests conducted in 2022 showed that Starlink could deliver internet speeds four times faster than the average.
Scientists argue, however, that such privilege comes at an appreciable cost in terms of research.
"With LOFAR (Low Frequency Array), we have started a program to monitor unintended emission from satellites belonging to different constellations, and our observations show that the second-generation Starlink satellites emit stronger emission and do so over a larger range of radio frequencies, compared to the first-generation satellites," says Cees Bassa from ASTRON (the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy), the lead author of the study.
According to a release by ASTRON, the analysis revealed that these newer satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves compared to the first generation, with levels potentially exceeding internationally regulated thresholds for interference set for intentional emissions and even more relaxed terrestrial electromagnetic compatibility standards.
"Compared to the faintest astrophysical sources that we observe with LOFAR, UEMR from Starlink satellites is 10 million times brighter. This difference is similar to the faintest stars visible to the naked eye and the brightness of the full moon. Since SpaceX is launching about 40 second-generation Starlink satellites every week, this problem is becoming increasingly worse," adds Cees Bassa."
"Humanity is clearly approaching an inflexion point where we need to take action to preserve our sky as a window to explore the universe from Earth. Satellite companies are not interested in producing this unintended radiation, so minimising it should also be a priority in their sustainable space policies," says Federico Di Vruno from the SKA Observatory. "Starlink is not the only big player in LEO, but they have a chance to set the standard here," he continues.
The researchers emphasise that while the second-generation satellites have been designed to enhance connectivity and provide communication services, the unintended radio emissions are a growing threat to the integrity of astronomical observations. As the consequences of such interference become increasingly evident, collaboration between satellite companies, regulatory agencies, and the astronomical community is essential to devise effective mitigation strategies.
