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  • Writer's pictureRachael Alexandroff

Why all the buzz about Starlink?

Cross-posted on Medium: https://medium.com/@rachael.m.a


UPDATE: Two days ago on Sept. 2 a European satellite was forced to make an active evasive maneuver to avoid a Starlink satellite. This was after SpaceX declined to move their satellite. Such actions have been uncommon in recent years but are likely to increase as near-Earth orbit becomes more crowded. This means we should be thinking more carefully right now about who we want in control of our night sky.


I’ve been meaning to write a post about Starlink for a while as I think this story highlights some persistent questions and tensions within the astronomy field. It is not that often in my field, as compared to say, biology that we must weigh our actions against some other potential public good. As such, we don’t have a lot of experience trying to balance these issues. Nevertheless, they are there and are a test of our ability to contribute positively to the wider community.


First of all — what is Starlink exactly? If you don’t spend a lot of time on astronomy twitter it is certainly likely that this is something that passed you by. Currently, Starlink is a series of 60 communications satellites that was launched on May 23, 2019 by SpaceX and Elon Musk. They are the first of a planned 12 000 satellite constellation approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This will more than quadruple the total number of satellites orbiting earth; today there are only around 2000 according to the European Space Agency. These satellites will help provide internet access to rural and remote areas that are not covered by traditional internet providers because the cost is prohibitive. On the surface this sounds fantastic so what’s the problem?


The 60 satellites in orbit before they are deployed from a Falcon 9 rocket. (Image Credit: SpaceX)

Astronomers are concerned because this program could significantly affect our ability to do astronomical research from down here on earth. The satellites, once launched, were brighter than anticipated because each one includes a solar panel that reflects the sun’s light back to earth. In fact, each satellite is so bright that the entire constellation could be seen with the naked eye when launched! This is of particular concern to upcoming observatories like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST; soon to be the Vera Rubin Survey Telescope!) which could see a Starlink satellite every few images according to Bruce Macintosh of Stanford. Astronomers were not amused.


It could be that if all the many satellite constellations, from SpaceX but also other companies, launch as planned, that even in truly dark skies 100s of these satellites will be visible lighting up the sky. In response, Elon Musk has promised to come up with a plan to reduce the impact of these satellites on astronomy research with details pending. Yet, do we have any ground to stand on when this initiative could significantly improve the lives of others?


This is an image captured of the satellites just after launch. The final brightness will be less than this as the satellites reach their final orbit. (Image Credit: Marco Langbroek, Leiden, the Netherlands)

We as a community have dealt with similar issues before. Did you know that a percentage of the radio frequency range cannot be used for commercial purposes? That is because it is kept protected for radio astronomy research. Telecom companies, however, would love to purchase and operate at these frequencies as there is little available bandwidth remaining for new entrants in to this sector. Undoubtably doing so could increase competition and decrease prices for consumers (whether or not this would actuallyhappen is beyond the scope of this astronomer).


It is also unclear to what extent Starlink will contribute to debris in space. This is a serious issue. Untracked debris can cause damage to communications satellites that are necessary for global interconnectivity. In a worst case scenario this debris could also cause damage to the international space station and put the astronauts on board at risk. As an intern at the National Academy of Sciences I contributed to a report on “Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft” which convinced me that we do not have great systems in place to track small space debris, partially because this is a very difficult problem! A huge increase in the number of satellites in Earth’s orbit could drastically increase the chance of collisions and catastrophic chain reactions where debris from one collision causes a chain reaction in neighbouring satellites (known as “Kessler Syndrome”). If this happens it is possible that the debris field would become so dense that low-Earth orbit would not longer be able to sustain satellites at all!


As space becomes more accessible to companies and not just government programs these are the kind of questions we as a society are going to have to grapple with. Does astronomers’ ability to use the night sky for research unimpeded, our your ability to drive out in to nature and stare at the sky virtually unimpeded, supersede the need for internet in rural areas? Is there a middle ground which we could have found earlier if SpaceX had made their plans known?


If we want, we can choose to ignore the social questions currently plaguing our field. We can ignore the questions of grad student unionization, building telescopes on sacred land or equity and inclusion in our community in the name of “focusing on the science”. And yet, when something like Starlink comes along we cry out because the wider community is affecting our ability to do our research. It is imperative that we think more about how our community affects the larger world if we also want to discuss how the wider world affects what we do.

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