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ABC News
25-07-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Starlink satellites disrupting astronomy research in WA's Murchison, study finds
Global satellite internet service Starlink could interfere with the world's largest radio telescope being built in Western Australia's Murchison, a new study reveals. The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) is an international project that aims to provide an unparalleled view of the universe, enabling scientists to explore the first billion years after the so-called dark ages, when the first stars and galaxies formed. Curtin University PhD researcher Dylan Grigg analysed 73 million images of the entire sky at different frequencies to examine how satellite signals were disrupting radio astronomy. His study indicated the future of WA's SKAO telescope, known as SKA-Low, could be in jeopardy, as radio noise spilling from thousands of Starlink satellites low orbiting Earth was already interfering with signals. Mr Grigg explored the 50—350 MHz frequency range that the SKA-Low would use during his three years of research. "We took an image of the sky every two seconds for about a month," he said. "In the end, we found that there were a lot of satellites, with the overwhelming majority of them being Starlink." Mr Grigg said Starlink satellites were emitting radio noise from onboard electronics, different to the designated downlink frequencies used for the internet. "It currently falls into a bit of a grey area of regulation," he said. "What they're doing is completely legal and fine, but it's interference for radio astronomy." Mr Grigg said SKA-Low aimed to seek out extremely faint signals emitting from the far reaches of the universe, but this would be challenging with "very noisy" satellites passing. "Even if your algorithms are very good for filtering some of this … it makes it really difficult." The ABC has contacted Starlink for comment. SKAO spectrum manager Federico Di Vruno said Mr Grigg's findings were consistent with SKAO's previous studies, but more work was needed to develop a clearer understanding of Starlink's impact on low-frequency observations. "Unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) is an unregulated aspect of space which poses a challenge for radio astronomy," he said. The number of human-made objects in space has soared, with the Union of Concerned Scientists reporting that a record number of satellites were launched last year. But Mr Di Vruno said that, unlike the single station used in Mr Grigg's study, the SKA-Low would use many stations separated over a large distance, meaning the unwanted signals that satellites produced were not as much of a worry. "The SKA-Low telescope will be made of up to 512 stations spread over 74 kilometres," he said. "We are continuing to study the issue and raising it in international settings like the UN in collaboration with all stakeholders." International Centre for Radio Astronomy director Steven Tingay said he hoped Mr Grigg's report would stimulate conversation. "I characterise this particular study as, I think, the most comprehensive, unbiased study of the situation, setting down a bit of a baseline for what's going on at this particular point in time," Professor Tingay said. "We can then revisit this in future years and then go back and compare to the baseline and see what's changed — have things improved, have things not improved? Are there more signals? "And also, stimulate discussion, raising awareness with the general public that, yeah, there are some pretty obvious trade-offs between having global internet, which is an amazing thing, and preserving the sky for doing important science. "It's a trade-off there that I think the public should be aware of."
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Oh Great, Starlink Might Be Blocking Signals That Are Basically From the Dawn of Time
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: SpaceX's Starlink satellites were known to interfere with visible light astronomical observations, but many have now been found to be interfering with radio observations by leaking radio emissions. While this is unintentional, unchecked leakage of radio waves could block observations that go back to when the universe was only a billion years old. Starlink needs to intervene as soon as possible, before the emissions end up blocking faint light from the Epoch of Reionization—when neutral hydrogen was reionized by light from the first stars. Mega-constellations of satellites are connecting more and more of the world to the internet, beaming it down to Earth on an unprecedented scale. Unfortunately, in that process, they seem to be putting other scientific efforts at risk. With over 7,600 small satellites hovering in low-Earth orbit (LEO) and a total of 12,000 (with an extension to a possible 36,000) planned, SpaceX's Starlink is without a doubt the largest satellite mega-constellation bringing internet to the masses. But it comes at a cost—while Starlink is in compliance with regulations intended to keep it from interfering with scientific observations, unintentional leakage of radio waves from thousands of its satellites has reached a level that could severely interfere with observations of faint radio sources going back to the early days of the universe. SpaceX has managed to prevent some interference by switching off beams that transmit internet when their satellites pass over telescopes, but that hasn't cancelled out the entire problem. Astronomer Steven Tingay of Curtin University's International Center for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia is concerned. He and colleagues Dylan Grigg and Marcin Sokolowski investigated the types of emissions that were leaking from Starlink satellites, how much of these emissions were being released, and in what ways the mega-constellation could have a negative impact on Earth-based radio observations. He previously used the SKA-Low prototype station to analyze satellite constellation impacts on radio astronomy. 'A small fraction of the radio spectrum across the SKA-Low's bandwidth has protection for radio astronomy,' Tingay, Grigg, and Sokolowski said in a study recently posted to the preprint server arXiv. 'Although these protections exist, a succession of research has shown that an increasing number of satellites are being detected transmitting unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) outside their designated downlink frequencies, and sometimes at these protected frequencies.' Some of SKA-Low's bandwidth—3.7 percent, to be exact—is protected by the International Telecommunications Union's Radiocommunication. But 3.7 percent is proving not to be enough. Starlink launches were already problematic when Tingay and his team conducted the study, with 477 satellites being sent to space during the four months they were collecting data. The two frequencies being released by many of the satellites in the constellation were 137.5 MHz and 159.4 MHz, which are two of the same radio frequencies at which astronomical observations are made. Tingay's team conducted the largest survey of Starlink satellites at SKA-Low frequencies. While there are there different models of satellite producing varying emissions, most of the ones that were leaking the problematic radio waves were type v2-mini-Ku (though, some v2-mini DTC and v1.5 models were also emitting waves at these frequencies). Starlink owns 75% of the v2-mini-Ku satellites in orbit, meaning that the company has the greatest responsibility when it comes to leakage from from these particular models. Leakage may go beyond interference in certain domains, even going so far as to potentially block observations that go all the way back to the Epoch of Reionizaiton—about a billion years after the Big Bang. This was when most of the electrically neutral hydrogen in the universe was charged by rising levels of radiation from the most ancient massive stars, known as Population III or Pop III stars (no Pop III stars have been detected yet). If left unchecked, radio emissions from Starlink satellites could get in the way of monumental discoveries. 'Future mitigation of the UEMR from Starlink satellites will be key for ultra-sensitive experiments with the SKA,' the researchers said. 'SpaceX has made significant progress liaising with astronomers in the optical domain, and we hope to keep this dialogue open in the radio domain.' You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
