Astronomers worry about SpaceX, Amazon satellites will ruin the view of space

Technology giants such as SpaceX's Elon Musk and Amazon's Jeff Bezos plan to launch thousands of satellites in an effort to provide global access to the Internet. But astronomers are concerned that adding satellites to Earth's orbit could spoil our vision of the night sky and disrupt scientific research.

The Astronomical Union International – the largest organization of professional astronomers in the world with more than 13,000 members – issued a statement last week complaining about SpaceX's launch of its first batch of satellites at the end of May. While this launch has only sent about sixty satellites into orbit, SpaceX plans to set up a satellite network called Starlink, consisting of nearly 12,000 satellites flying in low Earth orbit (less than 1,000 km from the surface of the planet). About half of these satellites are expected to be launched in the next six years.

In addition, SpaceX is not the only company to launch satellite networks, because Amazon has a similar project, called Project Kuiper, which would put more than 3,200 satellites in low Earth orbit over several years so to provide broadband Internet access worldwide.

In its statement, the IAU says that a "light-filled" night sky is "not only essential to advance the understanding of the Universe of which we are a part, but also as a resource for all of us." 39, humanity and for the protection of the nocturnal fauna, "the statement said. bed. "We do not yet understand the impact of thousands of these visible satellites scattered in the night sky and despite their good intentions, these satellite constellations can threaten both."

The IAU statement was made after astronomers, both amateur and professional, headed for social media after the launch of SpaceX Starlink last month to voice their own concerns. Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek tweeted a video showing Startlink satellites crossing the night sky, but reports said the satellites would eventually separate rather than be grouped as they appear in the video.

Shortly after, Jonathan McDowell, astronomer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Center, tweeted that the Starlink satellites were "brighter than expected," while the Southwest Research Institute's global astronomer, Alex Parker, wrote in a tweet The video of Langbroek "gives me a break" because the brightness of the satellites.

"If SpaceX launches the 12,000 chips, they will outnumber the stars visible to the naked eye," Parker wrote on Twitter.

SpaceX and Amazon did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comments Make It.

However, in a series of tweets published at the end of May, Musk claimed that the thousands of satellites in current orbit pose little problem for astronomers and that SpaceX is working to ensure that its satellites do not interfere with night vision. "We are going to make sure that Starlink will have no material effect on astronomical discoveries," wrote Musk. "We care a lot about science."

In fact, Musk also said that he had asked SpaceX to reduce the brightness of future Starlink satellites. SpaceX is collaborating with the US National Science Foundation, which oversees the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, to ensure the safety of Starlink satellites. "International Standards for the Protection of Radioastronomy," the NSF said in a statement this week.

"NSF is aware of the concerns of the research community and looks forward to a careful analysis of the potential impacts on optical and infrared astronomy," said a spokesman for NSF in a statement sent to CNBC Make It. "NSF's mission is to fund basic research, as well as instruments and facilities for conducting such research." We appreciate stakeholder feedback on the potential impacts on any area of ​​the research and development ecosystem. we will work with our federal, private and academic partners to ensure research, and capabilities are safeguarded. "

SpaceX and Amazon will eventually market their satellite internet networks, while SpaceX CEO Musk predicts that his company's network could generate more than $ 30 billion a year in revenues.

It is currently estimated that more than 2,000 satellites are orbiting the Earth, but about 1,300 of them are in low Earth orbit, according to data from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

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