That String of Satellites You See Crawling Across the Night Sky Is About to Be a Big Problem: Scientists

If you’ve looked up at a clear night sky in the past few years, you may have noticed a string of unblinking lights crawling across the heavens.

These most likely belong to Elon Musk’s Starlink, a satellite internet project operated by SpaceX. The satellites orbit the planet in “constellations” that work with each other. Other visible objects include the International Space Station and satellites operated by governments or other companies.

Now, it looks like the space around Earth is becoming so crowded it may emerge as a major problem for humanity.

The most noticeable problem is the interference seen from a proliferation of satellites in orbit.

Outside of the visual interruption for people viewing the night sky through the naked eye or with amateur telescopes, the satellites are becoming a menace for advanced space observation and exploration.

In a study published Aug. 29 by Astronomy & Astrophysics, astronomers from around the world reported their findings involving interference from Starlink’s second generation of satellites.

“The issue of the higher levels of [unintended electromagnetic radiation] from the second-generation Starlink satellites is further exacerbated by the lower orbits in which these satellites operate,” the scientists wrote.

Electromagnetic radiation can impact deep space observation, a field that relies on much more than just visible light.

The second generation of Musk’s satellites is authorized to operate between 223 to 300 miles above Earth’s surface, depending on the specific model.

“As a result of these lower orbits and resulting smaller distances to Earth-based telescopes,” the scientists continued, “the signals will be 30–130% brighter compared to the Generation 1 Starlink constellation, which mostly operates at orbital altitudes of [341 miles].”

Despite this, these are not the brightest man-made objects in space. That honor goes to AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3, part of a massive telecommunications project. The satellite is the largest private antenna system ever put in space.

One expert told Space.com that the satellite is “unacceptably bright for many sky observers around the world.”

Another major problem anticipated by some is the potential collision of satellites.

Although satellites operate at different altitudes, a collision between two objects can result in thousands of pieces of debris, each carrying the potential to hit and shatter other objects. According to Nature Astronomy, debris currently in space has created “shells” around the earth.

Rocket parts, fragments of other objects, defunct satellites and various aerospace items make these shells a very dangerous place for ascending rockets and functioning satellites.

Compounding the problem is the fact that every collision creates more debris, leaving more objects to be hit by traveling spacecraft.

“Donald Kessler proposed a cascade effect, now named after him, for when the space pollution density is such that each collision produces new objects that lead to more collisions,” Nature explained. “Unfortunately, he concluded that the space environment was already unstable in 2009.”

Projects intended to remove debris from Earth’s orbit have yet to make any impact on the growing problem.

Starlink satellites at one point made over 50,000 maneuvers to avoid space debris in a six-month period, according to Space.com. For every move the satellites make, however, limited propellant is used.

Eventually, this propellant will run out.

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