SpaceX promises to limit disruption to astronomy from Starlink satellites

SpaceX has signed an agreement with the US National Science Foundation. It states that Elon Musk’s company must continue to make efforts to limit the disruption of Starlink satellites to astronomical observations.

Conform the agreement SpaceX promises it will continue efforts to keep its Starlink satellites from getting brighter than magnitude 7, making them invisible to the naked eye. It does not make them ‘invisible’ for astronomical observations, but it does limit their effect. Certain adjustments are being made to the solar panels and a new black paint is being applied.

This should further combat the problem of sunlight reflection. This allows the satellites to be visible as bright dots in the sky, especially because they are placed in a relatively low Earth orbit. In the past, this has led to disruptions of astronomical observations and concerns have been raised about this on several occasions.

The concerns are not just about observations in the visible part of the spectrum. Radio telescopes can also be affected by the Starlink satellites. As part of the agreement, SpaceX agrees not to send signals when the satellites fly over large radio telescopes. This appears to be limited to American radio telescopes.

This concerns an agreement that focuses on the second generation of Starlink satellites. At the beginning of December last year, regulator Federal Communications Commission gave permission to launch 7,500 of the planned 30,000 artificial satellites. The current coordination agreement with the National Science Foundation was a condition of the FCC’s license. Apart from this licensing requirement, there is no obligation for SpaceX to commit to reducing the impact of its Starlink satellites on astronomy; there are no laws or policies that set rules in this area.

There is also an organization that considers consultation and coordination insufficient. The International Dark-Sky Association has filed a case against FCC approval. This organization believes that this permission leads to negative effects on astronomy by amateurs and professionals and states that it reduces the opportunity to enjoy a dark sky. According to the International Dark-Sky Association, the FCC violated the National Environmental Policy Act by awarding the license to SpaceX. The FCC has previously determined that an environmental assessment under this US law does not need to take place because SpaceX’s mitigation measures and the agreement with the National Science Foundation are sufficient.