ESO Study Finds That No More Than 100,000 Satellites Should Orbit Earth

The Limit for Satellites Should Be 100,000, but 1.7 Million Are Planned, Scientists Say

A European Southern Observatory study published Wednesday sets 100,000 as Earth orbit's maximum satellite load before ground-based astronomy breaks down. SpaceX plans one million; Reflect Orbital's 50,000 mirror satellites would render the Vera Rubin Observatory unusable for hours each night.

Lambakan satelit jadikan malam makin terang

BRUSSELS: Sebanyak 1.7 juta satelit yang dirancang beberapa syarikat untuk dilancarkan ke orbit bumi dalam beberapa tahun akan datang akan membawa kesan yang memusnahkan bidang astronomi, menurut satu kajian baharu. Menurut Balai Cerap Selatan Eropah (ESO), rancangan untuk memenuhi orbit bumi dengan sejumlah besar satelit yang sangat terang itu merupakan ancaman kepada kewujudan teleskop yang ... Read more The post Lambakan satelit jadikan malam makin terang appeared first on Utusan Malaysia.

A New Space Race Could Turn the Night Sky Into a Permanent Light Show

A new study by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) warns that current plans to deploy more than 1.7 million satellites in Earth's orbit could cause serious damage to ground-based astronomy. To preserve the capabilities of modern telescopes, the total number of spacecraft in low Earth orbit should remain below 100,000, provided the satellites maintain low visibility. Since 2019, the number of satellites in orbit has grown rapidly and now exceeds 14,000, largely because of Starlink, developed by SpaceX. The situation could change dramatically in the coming years as additional large-scale projects move forward. Satellite Expansion Could Reshape the Night Sky Beyond SpaceX's plans for orbital data centers, several other initiatives are under development, including E-Space with its Cinnamon constellation, as well as China's CTC-1 and CTC-2 systems. Together, these projects involve the launch of hundreds of thousands of additional satellites.

TED-stage futurist/longevity salesman says mass surveillance will make us behave

There's close to 14,000 man-made satellites bopping around in low-Earth orbit. Many of us willingly bring wiretaps into our lives: smartphone apps that constantly listen; smart speakers that do our bidding in exchange for access to our most intimate moments. Every day, your country, state, and neighbors install more cameras in public spaces and private homes. — Read the rest The post TED-stage futurist/longevity salesman says mass surveillance will make us behave appeared first on Boing Boing.

Planned 1.7 million satellites 'devastating' for astronomy: study

The 1.7 million satellites that companies are aiming to launch into Earth's orbit in the coming years will have devastating consequences for astronomy, new research warned Wednesday. The plans to swarm Earth with huge, extremely bright satellites represent an existential threat to telescopes viewing the universe, according to the European Southern Observatory which conducted the research. To retain humanity's ability to properly explore the night sky, the team of researchers called for a max