SAR Statement on the Starlink Satellite Constellation

The Royal Astronomical Society notes with concern the launch of the new SpaceX Starlink satellite constellation on low Earth orbit, as well as the potential impact of this program and other programs on the view of the night sky and on astronomical research.

Starlink, along with other similar networks planned by OneWeb, Amazon and Telesat, aims to provide global commercial Internet coverage. Each network is made up of thousands of satellites in low earth orbit – less than 2,000 km above sea level – which, once fully deployed, will be visible on a significant part of the sky from most of the inhabited world.

In their final orbits, the satellites will be relatively weak most of the time. The initial images of the constellation suggest, however, that they would have frequent glare, where a transient alignment with sunlight caused temporary overcurrents.

The significant increase in the number of satellites poses a challenge for ground-based astronomy. Deployed networks could make it much harder to obtain sky images without the streaks associated with satellites and thus compromise astronomical research.

Given the scale of these projects, there is also the prospect of significant and lasting change in the vision of the night sky so far appreciated throughout human history and prehistory. The night sky is part of the cultural heritage of humanity and the Society believes that it deserves to be protected.

There appears to have been no consultation between SpaceX and the scientific community prior to the launch of Starlink, but since the first press reports, we note that Elon Musk responded by saying that he wanted to minimize the impact. on astronomy.

The Company welcomes this offer. We urge SpaceX and other satellite providers to work with scientists, engineers and others to mitigate the effects of the new constellations. We also ask provider companies to take into account the impact on human heritage, an issue that goes far beyond the concerns of the astronomer community.