The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced it has reached an agreement with SpaceX to limit the effects astronomers have been complaining about.
Thousand satellite Starlink has been launched into low Earth orbit by SpaceX. However, this raises concerns for astronomers because it is feared that this satellite belonging to SpaceX will ‘contaminate’ the sky which should be dark and quiet for the benefit of scientific studies related to astronomy.
But recently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced it had reached an agreement with SpaceX to limit those effects. The agreement focuses on the radio astronomy band 10.6 – 10.7 GHz, and SpaceX agreed to take steps such as not transmitting from satellites when they pass major radio astronomy stations.
For your information, radio frequency is one of the things that is questioned by astronomers. Satellites are designed to operate at a specific radio frequency, but they can emit radiation outside that band in a phenomenon called frequency bleed.
Radio astronomers have to deal with a lot of background radio noise from Earth to pick out faint signals from the distant objects they observe, and having multiple satellites in the sky makes it more difficult.
Although not legally bound, the agreement demonstrates that the two groups seek to work together to activate a global satellite internet and allow uninterrupted astronomical observations.
“We are setting the stage for a successful partnership between commercial and public ventures that will enable important scientific research to thrive alongside satellite communications,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan in a statement quoted by DigitalTrends (16/1).
