Science & Nature

Star gazers, astronauts face stumbling block as satellites fill the skies

The rate at which satellites are launched is going to increase as the possibilities opened up by space are exploited by more firms.

Amateur star gazers and astronomers are soon going to face a new issue – the number of satellites in the night skies is making life difficult for them.

Companies eyeing the space pie are the real culprits as there are over 8,000 satellites now. Space firms are launching satellites with alarming rapidity. The figure is four times the number of satellites we had four years back in 2019. And the rate at which launches happen is only going to increase as the possibilities opened up by space are exploited by more firms.

In January, a private firm in the United Kingdom attempted a rocket launch, which would have taken nine satellites into orbit. The mission however failed to reach the orbit. Scotland-based SaxaVord is planning nearly 30 launches a year once its launch pad is ready by this summer.

Around 4 lakh satellites get nod for orbiting lower earth

Firms like SpaceX are also eyeing UK’s space sector, as per a report. The Elon Musk-promoted firm is positioning to launch 44,000 satellites in order to boost its Starlink internet project. Nearly 4,00,000 have got approval for orbiting the lower earth.

They are being deployed for a host of reasons including boosting internet connectivity now, a paradigm shift from the earlier objective of studies linked to climate change. So it is not surprising that there have been clarion calls for regulating the number of satellites that throng the skies.

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) along with the UK Space Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Business organised a Dark and Quiet Skies conference with a view to regulating the ever-increasing demand to launch satellites.

Costs associated with space launches dipping

This enormous appetite for many launches make collecting signals a not-so-easy task, according to experts. They say this could soon pose a huge challenge as satellites would constitute ten per cent of all stars in the sky.

Already the reflection of sunlight back to the earth caused by satellites is posing issues for astronauts. Satellites to boost the internet can also interfere with sensitive signals including that of radio telescopes, experts say.

Researchers say around forty per cent of the frames will be interfered with in twilight hours, posing a major problem for astronauts. Experts warn the debris and traffic in space would create major obstacles.

The costs associated with space launches are also dipping as technology advances, making it a real possibility that our skies are flooded with satellites.

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Sanjeev Ramachandran

A journalist with 23 years of experience, Sanjeev has worked with reputed media houses such as Business Standard, The Ne More »

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