There is no doubt that SpaceX’s Starlink Internet service has connected the world more than ever, but at what cost? Astronomers have long voiced concerns about Starlink’s satellite constellations that interfere with observations of the universe, and a new investigation by Curtin University confirms these fears.
Analysis of 76 million images from the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) wireless telescope prototype stations found Starlink satellite emissions affecting up to 30% of images in some datasets. Such interference can affect the results of studies that rely on that data. The study identified over 112,000 radio emissions from 1,806 Starlink satellites, indicating that the observed UCH of interference was not intentional.
“Some satellites have been detected that have been emitted in bands with no signal that appears to be present at all, such as the 703 satellites identified at 150.8 MHz, intended to be protected for radio astronomical purposes,” the Curtin University candidate said in a statement.
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Grigg noted that these unintended emissions may come from onboard electronics. “… They’re not part of the intentional signal, so astronomers can’t easily predict or rule them out,” he said.
The International Telecommunication Union regulates satellite emissions to protect astronomical observations, but the current regulations “focus on intentional transmissions and do not cover this type of unintended emissions,” said Stephen Tingai, executive director of Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy.
Related: “Radio astronomy from the ground is no longer possible”: satellite megas worms blind us to space – and an important “inflection point” approaches
However, StarLink satellites are not the only ones that have problems. The research team’s research focuses on Starlink as it currently has the broadest constellations and has over 7,000 satellites deployed at the time of the investigation, but other satellite networks can also “leak” unintended transmissions.
“It’s important to note that there’s nothing wrong with Starlink, as it doesn’t violate current regulations. The discussion with SpaceX on this topic was constructive,” Tingay said. “We hope that this research will add support for international efforts to update policies regulating the impact of this technology on ongoing radio astronomy research.”
The team’s survey was published in Journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
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