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Positive moves made on preserving the night sky in the era of satellite internet
In many regions in the modern world the internet is so ubiquitous that it is almost taken for granted, however many areas remain disconnected and some attempts to supply these regions with satellite internet need to be progressed carefully to avoid posing a potential risk to the night sky and astronomy in general.
This is because many companies, most notably Elon Musk’s SpaceX with its Starlink project, are aiming to beam internet down into remote areas on a global level from satellites that are launched into low-level space orbit. The commitment to projects such as these is growing, with the SpaceX Starlink project launching another 60 satellites in late January[1] and technology giant Amazon set to move into its purpose built facility this year for its ‘Project Kuiper’ that aims to launch more than 3,200 satellites[2].
How could satellite internet change the night sky?
Whilst providing internet access to regions that may lack it is a laudable objective, and the technological feat of achieving it should be applauded and respected it seems that in the race to provide this, companies need to be made aware of the importance of keeping the night sky as clear as possible for astronomers and providing favourable conditions for astrophotographers to take inspiring images, such as those seen in our 2019 astrophotography competition.
If the companies are not made fully aware of the astronomical importance of preserving the night sky, satellite internet could be problematic in a number of ways. The first of which is the light pollution that these satellites can cause, this is because these satellites orbit closer to Earth than other satellites and this, alongside their design, makes them “brighter than 99 percent of the objects on orbit now” according to Patrick Seitzer, a professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan[3].
Another issue that the satellites could cause is a simple one – more objects means less space. This has two potential implications, the first of which is that as more objects are added to the night sky there is less of the sky which is unobstructed and therefore a higher chance of objects obscuring or otherwise affecting the view for astrophotographers and other astronomers.
The second implication of adding more satellites to the night sky is the increase of space debris. Space debris is a problem that has grown in recent years as more nations around the globe have increased their space budgets[4] and there are now more than 23,000 man-made fragments of space debris[5]. This represents a threat to the night sky as the increased traffic heightens the risk of high-speed collisions between fragments, which could see a further multiplication of the amount of fragments and potentially further increase the chances of obscuring the night sky and future collisions.
Preventative measures
There are preventative measures that companies are trialling in order to mitigate these risks, although at this early stage there is no definitive solution to these potential issues despite the significant efforts of such companies. In response to the brightness of the satellites, SpaceX recently applied a dark coating to one of the sixty satellites on its most recent launch and will monitor the visibility of this satellite over the coming months[3]. The company is also engaged in discussions with astronomical societies on how to make the satellites less intrusive and reassuring such societies that there is no desire to impede their scientific endeavours[6].
Furthermore, satellite tracking data does exist which allows for the monitoring of the traffic level of a particular area of the sky and position satellites accordingly. SpaceX makes this information available for users with an approved account on the website Space Track.
It seems that the emergence of satellite internet is potentially a huge positive for large portions of the world that do not have access to reliable internet, however its impact on astrophotography and astronomy at large should be considered. Due to the steps already taken and the resources that these companies can commit to solving any issues which may arise, we are optimistic that the night sky will be preserved and that astrophotographers will continue to take inspiring images with technologically advanced cameras.
References
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/29/spacex-successfully-launches-60-more-satellites-for-its-starlink-satellite-internet-constellation/
[2] https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-project-kuiper-satellite-internet-factory-redmond-washington-2019-12?r=US&IR=T
[3] https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21043229/spacex-starlink-satellite-mega-constellation-concerns-astronomy-space-traffic
[4] https://spacenews.com/op-ed-global-government-space-budgets-continues-multiyear-rebound/
[5] https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/space/2019/04/space-junk-huge-problem-and-its-only-getting-bigger
