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A giant new communications satellite that eclipses nearly every star in the night sky is obscuring telescopes’ view of the universe, scientists warn.
The huge orbiting ‘cell phone tower’, known as BlueWalker 3, is creating both visible and invisible interference that could ‘seriously impede progress in our understanding of the cosmos’, officials from the world said. International Astronomical Union (opens in a new tab) (IAU) said in a statement.
BlueWalker 3 is a prototype antenna that was designed and built by Texas communications company AST Space Mobile. The satellite was launched into low Earth orbit on September 10 and deployed its massive communications network on November 14, Live Science’s sister site Space.com reported. The mirror-shaped dish has an area of approximately 693 square feet (64 square meters), making it the largest commercial communications array ever launched into orbit.
However, BlueWalker 3 has one glaring problem: the satellite’s huge dish is reflecting huge amounts of sunlight back to Earth’s surface, said the IAU’s Center for the Protection of Dark and Silent Skies from interference from satellite constellations (CPS) in the release. Astronomers have released a number of time-lapse photos captured by observatories around the world showing the satellite photobombing the night sky – appearing as a continuous bright white line across the sky.
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“This satellite has become one of the brightest objects in the night sky,” IAU representatives wrote in the statement, “brighter than other satellites in the constellation and at times as bright as some of the more recognizable stars “.
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And the oversized satellite doesn’t just block telescopes’ optical views of the universe. The IAU also warns that cellphone signals from communications satellites could also create significant interference for radio telescopes.
“These in-orbit transmitters, which are not subject to the same radio quiet zone restrictions as ground-based cellular networks, have the potential to have a significant impact on radio astronomy research,” IAU representatives wrote.
BlueWalker 3 is the latest flashpoint in an ongoing debate about astronomical interference from communications satellites, which began when SpaceX launched its first Stellar Link satellites in 2019. (There are now over 2,000 Starlink satellites orbiting our planet, which could grow to 12,000 in the coming years). But the enormous size of BlueWalker 3 could prove to be a major turning point in the discussion.
“BlueWalker 3 is a big change in the constellation satellite problem and should give us all a reason to pause,” Piero Welcome (opens in a new tab)director of IAU CPS, said in the statement.
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A single BlueWalker 3 satellite in orbit may be only a slight nuisance for astronomers at present, but AST plans to launch a fleet of “more than 100 similar or even larger satellites” in the future. as it attempts to build a global mobile network, IAU representatives wrote. This could make it nearly impossible for astronomers to avoid photobombing glare from satellites.
The IAU representatives wrote that the astronomical community recognizes that commercial satellites will play an important role in improving global communication systems, but asserts that their deployment “should be done with due consideration of their side effects and in striving to minimize their impact on astronomy”.
The IAU warning comes after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on November 3 a proposal to create the Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs, which will help address emerging issues surrounding the major satellite constellations in the United States and around the world. , according IAU (opens in a new tab).
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