A New Satellite is one of the Brightest Objects in the Sky, and that Poses a Significant Problem

 

As we place more and more satellites in orbit, there are potential problems along with all the most recent technological and scientific advancements.

The freshly launched prototype BlueWalker 3 satellite, intended to be the first node of an orbiting communications network that can be accessed by regular smartphones, is currently one of the brightest objects in the night sky

That's a big problem for professionals and fans who look into space. Although there are a few telescopes high in the sky, most of our studies of the universe are conducted from the Earth's surface

According to the International Astronomical Union Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference, all but the brightest stars can now be eclipsed by the satellite's brilliance (IAU CPS).

"It's like totally what many astronomers don't want," senior astronomer Meredith Rawls, from the University of Washington in Seattle, told Science.

The BlueWalker 3 is undoubtedly a magnificent bit of hardware. The largest commercial antenna array in low Earth orbit, at 693 square feet (64 square metres), it can reflect significantly more light than, say, the SpaceX Starlink satellites.

By the end of 2024, parent company AST SpaceMobile hopes to launch more than 100 satellites, many of which could be much bigger than BlueWalker 3. That's a big problem for scientists.

Another concern is that because BlueWalker 3 is designed to serve as a cell phone tower in space, it uses terrestrial radio frequencies that could interfere with radio telescopes, which are currently constructed far from areas with mobile phone service

According to Philip Diamond, DG at the Square Kilometer Array Observatory, with headquarters in the UK, "Frequencies provided to cell phones are already stenosing to attention even in radio silence zones we have constructed for our facilities."

"Newest satellites such as BlueWalker 3 have the potential to intensify this situation and compromise our capability to do science if not properly mitigated." 

 

Although representatives of the IAU CPS and its allies are eager to acknowledge that satellites may improve global communications, they want additional debates to take place about the"fair and sustainable use of space."

"We're impatient to use the latest technologies and strategies to mitigate feasible impacts to astronomy," an AST SpaceMobile spokesperson told New Scientist.

Reference:  Science Alert