Starlink & Co .: Call for debate on satellite constellations at the UN


Published by: MRT
Published on: July 20, 2021

A group of astronomers is campaigning for satellite constellations like Starlink to land on the United Nations agenda before the restrictions on sky observation become too severe. The US science magazine Nature reports, citing Piero Benvenuti, a former Secretary General of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Together with others, he has already managed to put the topic on the agenda in a sub-committee of the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and the entire committee is now to discuss it. The aim is a common idea of ​​how unregulated space can be used fairly.

Tens of thousands of satellites planned

Responsible for worries in the astronomy community are space companies like SpaceX and OneWeb, which have already begun building global satellite networks for Internet access. SpaceX in particular is setting an enormous pace and has already launched more than 1,700 satellites for Starlink. Further mega constellations have been announced. The fear is therefore growing that astronomy, but also simple sky observation, would be impaired by the rapidly growing number of satellites in low orbits. Especially when the satellites have not yet reached their final position, some of them are clearly visible in the sky and even experts were surprised by their brightness. Not only the IAU, but also the European Southern Observatory ESO, warned of the consequences.

Benvenuti assures Nature that the debates in United Nations bodies are not intended to play off astronomers against satellite operators. Instead, it is a matter of reaching a consensus on the use of space that takes into account all interests. Because even if companies like SpaceX adhere to – self-imposed – guidelines for minimizing the visibility of the satellites, these will be visible to observatories and some planned giant telescopes could be drastically restricted in their work. At the same time, there are no globally binding guidelines on the extent to which satellites are allowed to change the night sky at all. Even the UN does not have the authority to issue such rules, but there nations can agree on common rules.

Technical solutions

Benvenuti and the others are now hoping that the topic will be discussed at the next meeting of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space from August 25, and they point to the urgency, writes Nature. While an international set of rules is unlikely to become a reality for years, even in the best case scenario, SpaceX is continuing to expand its constellation at great speed.

This is another reason why the research community also relies on technical solutions, such as databases on satellite orbits, in order to be able to avoid affected regions of the sky. In addition, software is being worked on in order to be able to remove the traces of the satellites from recordings. Others, meanwhile, tried to include the perspectives of indigenous communities who have deep cultural ties to the starry sky, which are also affected by the satellites.

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