On Wednesday, three NASA astronomers released an analysis showing that several planned orbital telescopes would see their images criss-crossed by planned satellite constellations, such as a fully expanded Starlink and its competitors. While the impact of these constellations on ground-based has been widely considered, orbital hardware was thought to be relatively immune from their interference. But the planned expansion of constellations, coupled with some of the features of upcoming missions, will mean that at least one proposed observatory will see an average of nearly 100 satellite tracks in every exposure.

Making matters worse, some of the planned measures meant to minimize the impact on ground-based telescopes will make things worse for those in orbit.

Constellations vs. astronomy

Satellite constellations are a relatively new threat to astronomy; prior to the drop in launch costs driven by SpaceX’s reusable rockets, the largest constellations in orbit consisted of a few dozen satellites. But the rapid growth of the Starlink system caused problems for ground-based astronomy that are not easy to solve.

Read full article

Comments

© NASA

A Ukrainian military specialist has published photographs of a downed Russian reconnaissance drone allegedly equipped with a Starlink satellite terminal and a locally manufactured onboard systems. The images, shared by Serhiy Beskrestnov—also known by the callsign “Serhiy Flesh”—provide further evidence that Russia may be using civilian satellite internet services to conduct battlefield surveillance. “Now I […]

To overcome the constellation's evasive nature, China would need a swarm of hundreds of drones, a new study finds.

Emirates is set to build the world’s largest Starlink-enabled wide-body fleet, offering faster in-flight Wi-Fi and improved connectivity on international routes.

The post Emirates Announces Plans For World’s Largest Starlink-Enabled International Wide-Body Fleet first appeared on Redmond Pie.