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SpaceX recently launched its first batch of 60 satellites into low-Earth orbit, getting
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us one step closer to global internet coverage.
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Dubbed Starlink, this program will eventually form a mega constellation of nearly 12,000
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satellites hovering about 550km above Earth.
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But as the twinkling post-launch satellite train moved its way across the sky, astronomers
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across the globe watched and wondered—are these things always going to be so...bright?
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Many astronomers fear that Starlink will interfere with scientific observations.
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Starlink's solar-powered, roughly 225kg satellites communicate with one another through
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optical and radio links, and connect with ground terminals that can operate from pretty
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much anywhere.
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These satellites are expected to dramatically improve data transfer speeds and connectivity
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compared with existing technologies, like Iridium satellites, of which there are currently
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66 in active orbit.
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Starlink is also poised to drastically improve bandwidth—potentially surpassing fiber optics—and
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reduce latency, or lag, which will be great for industries that rely on getting information
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fast.
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And the biggest selling point here?
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Internet for all.
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That's great news!
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But what about the risks of Starlink cluttering our night sky?
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Roughly 5,000 satellites currently crowd Earth's immediate environment, and Starlink is set
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to nearly triple that number.
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So astronomers aren't exactly starstruck with this idea.
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In recent statements, astronomical groups strongly recommended that a regulatory framework
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be developed to address a number of new challenges posed by the potential increase in satellite
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bodies.
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As the plan currently stands, some of the satellites will utilize frequencies neighboring
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those that radio astronomers use to study the sky.
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This interference could make it tricky for ground-based instruments, like the Event Horizon
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Telescope, to clearly view distant objects in space.
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I mean if it hadn't been for a sky free of radio interference, researchers may never have captured
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our first image of a black hole.
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And then there's the problem of all the light that Starlink generates.
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Like Iridium satellites, they can “flare” by throwing bursts of reflected sunlight back from
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their solar arrays down toward Earth.
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Flares aside, it's suggested that the satellites will also be consistently bright.
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Initial estimates of the satellites' visibility suggested they'd sit at an apparent magnitude
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just slightly dimmer than the North star.
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While updated reports indicate that they'll now sit within a lower magnitude range of
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about 5 to 7, and this suggests that Starlink will remain visible to the naked eye.
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And all that satellite contamination really adds up.
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These reflective objects could confuse sensitive optical telescopes designed to survey the
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entire sky, like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile.
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Once all 12,000 satellites are in orbit, estimates say up to four Starlink satellites will
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likely appear in every single one of the telescope's images in the hours approaching twilight.
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Musk has said that they'll need at least “six more launches of 60 satellites” for
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minor coverage.
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Each satellite is designed to only last for a few years, dropping from the wider Starlink
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array and burning up upon entry into Earth's atmosphere.
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And that's just it.
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With Starlink's satellites in space, traffic increases—and the risk of satellite collisions
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goes up, too.
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Collisions pose a national security threat, and current guidelines to safely manage orbiting
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objects are pretty flimsy.
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If a collision does occur, it would add to the already half a million pieces of space
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junk present in Earth's orbit.
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And in response to all this, Elon Musk has focused on the need for internet access for all, and
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that “we need to move telescopes to orbit anyway.”
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But where does that leave astronomers who don't have the ability to travel into space
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on a whim?
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Or even those of us who just love to stargaze?
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Space is basically a regulatory wild west, which presents a whole lot of unknowns for
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us here on Earth.
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To address astronomers' worries that communication satellites could ruin their careers, SpaceX
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has been working with the National Science Foundation and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
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to try and keep observations clear of any disturbance.
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It's also announced plans to redesign the next Starlink batch to appear less bright.
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But SpaceX isn't the only company casting an Internet into the galactic sea.
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OneWeb launched a fleet of comms satellites earlier this year, and is also working on
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ways to reduce radio frequency interference and low-Earth orbit clutter.
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Canadian company Telestat promises to operate its satellites at higher orbits so they'll
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appear fainter.
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Amazon, too, is quietly developing tech for its own Project Kuiper.
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As the market for space real estate heats up, projects like Starlink are destined to
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become more common.
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Close collaboration between astronomers and these companies will be essential to keep
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internet connections strong and our observations of the sky clear.
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Because after all, astronomers are kind of like our very own guardians of the galaxy.
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So what do you think, is it time to move astronomy into space, or figure out a way to move satellites
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away from Earth?
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Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe for more Seeker.
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I'll see you next time, thanks for watching.
