Starlink Satellites Interfere With Nearly a Third of Low Frequency Radio Astronomy

Starlink has a long history of friction with astronomers. It goes all the way back to CEO Elon Musk’s starting idea that the satellites would intentionally be kept visible from the ground, but tensions have mounted since then. Astronomers point out that visible light is only one of the many things that can disrupt space science, and that by adding thousands of satellites to orbit, Musk was guaranteed to get in the way. But Starlink has always denied that its satellites will be a problem.

Now, a new study that examined tens of millions of astronomical images claims to show that not only is Starlink having an impact on the field of astronomy, but that impact is enormous.

Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the paper provides evidence that Starlink satellites add noise to up to 30% of images taken in the low-frequency radio range.

One problem with this particular type of interference is that it’s not intentional. These are not visible lights aimed at the ground, nor are they scheduled emissions in known areas of the spectrum. Instead, the researchers conclude that most of the interference is passive noise from the electronics onboard the satellites, meaning that the specifics are hard to predict.

This image, from 2019, shows streaks from Starlink satellites to illustrate house densely packed the sky really is.
Credit: CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/DECam DELVE Survey

Scientists are increasingly able to filter these sorts of emissions out of astronomical data, but that ability relies on knowing what to compensate for. Starlink’s emissions are reportedly harder to see through, and this study found them to fluctuate from dataset to dataset.

“Some satellites were detected emitting in bands where no signals are supposed to be present at all, such as the 703 satellites we identified at 150.8 MHz, which is meant to be protected for radio astronomy,” the researchers said in a statement on the Curtin University website.

However, the researchers also point out that Starlink is not technically breaking any regulations, and that they’ve had productive conversations with SpaceX about how to mitigate the problem going forward.

One technique involves timing astronomical observations to occur when few satellites are in the way—something that was surprisingly difficult until just recently. Now, there are several comprehensive satellite-tracking tools, particularly from the International Astronomical Union’s CPS, or the Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference.

In all likelihood, this particular constellation of satellites won’t tank the entire field of radio astronomy, but it definitely raises worries about the future. Starlink itself is constantly expanding its network of satellites with new launches, compounding the problem, but there’s also the problem of launching totally separate swarms.

If Starlink is an ongoing success, it could prove the viability of other orbital services—and lead to sister-swarms of satellites causing trouble alongside them.

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