[defrost]

Sucks for regular astronomy then, where long exposures are the norm.

Equally sucks for radio astronomy where the bloody things leak into spectrums they (Starlink) pinky promised to keep clean. And successive generations have worsened the problem, again despite promises to improve.

[ioseph]

Sucks being out bush stargazing and then seeing a massive constellation to remind you of Musk's wealth and influence. It's no longer possible to totally escape visual reminders of civilisation

[connicpu]

Starlink actively works with radioastronomy sites to avoid causing interference. They've posted about this before.

[defrost]

Yes, they do post about it.

Yes they do talk about working to avoid causing interference.

That's been ongoing since before the first Starlink went up and has been ongoing as later generations haven't improved.

Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations https://www.astron.nl/starlink-satellites/

  Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations. New observations with the LOFAR radio telescope, the biggest radio telescope on Earth observing at low frequencies, have shown that the second generation ’V2-mini’ Starlink satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves than satellites from the previous generation, potentially blinding radio telescopes and crippling vital research of the Universe.

Still, at least they are talking about maybe doing something. Eventually. Perhaps.

[atomicthumbs]

do you believe everything Musk says

[kortilla]

If you have evidence of them causing interference on a spectrum they shouldn’t be on, report it to the FCC. They take that very seriously

[defrost]

Scientists analyze 76 million radio telescope images, find Starlink satellite interference 'where no signals are supposed to be present' (2025)

~ https://www.space.com/astronomy/scientists-analyze-76-millio...

and several other papers over the past half decade.

It's old news that they leak, and old news that F-all gets done about it.

Back to you.

[kortilla]

"It is important to note that Starlink is not violating current regulations, so is doing nothing wrong. Discussions we have had with SpaceX on the topic have been constructive," said Tingay. "We hope this study adds support for international efforts to update policies that regulate the impact of this technology on radio astronomy research that are currently underway."

Sounds like not transmitting but just electronics existing in space.

This is directly the opposite of the implication of using Ku/Ka bands they shouldn’t have (which is what the agreements were with astronomy groups - aka “pinky promise”).

[defrost]

Starlink is leaking into radio astronomy bands, they initially said there wouldn't be a problem, but there was. They've later stated it would addressed in Gen-2 - it got worse.

> Starlink is not violating current regulations, so is doing nothing wrong.

Might be time to make global regulations on spectrum usage in space? That could take a while.

There are many past examples of companies "not violating current regulations" despite leaking toxins and other now recognised violations of the commons.

[kortilla]

> Starlink is leaking into radio astronomy bands, they initially said there wouldn't be a problem, but there was.

Again, these are two different things and conflating them is not productive. The initial discussion with Starlink and the astronomy community that I followed closely was explicitly about conflicts on the service frequencies (i.e. the thing unique to Starlink). They were cooperative with that.

Now it turns out electronics in space emit EM noise and that is the thing showing up in astronomy and it has nothing to do with the RF internet side. Non-Starlink satellites emit it as well but the sheer volume of starlink sats makes it easier to detect theirs.

The distinction matters because the same thing will happen with any constellation regardless of its purpose if it has onboard computers, batteries, solar arrays, etc.

I’m for passing regulations on this emissivity, but the framing that this is some kind of rug pull by spacex is dumb. They could have participated in the community the legally required amount like the Chinese do and we’d be in a much worse position.

[ericjmorey]

I'm not confident after all government investigations and lawsuits against Elon and his companies were dropped when Elon illegally accessed government systems, illegally took government data, illegally terminated government employees, and illegally eliminated government departments and programs while creating billions in expenses while pretending his intention was to help anyone but himself.

But sure, the FCC might take it seriously.

[arijun]

Then just wait until the next administration. If they are building with technology that relies on the FCC being gutted, they will be in for a world of hurt when that changes.

[tqi]

Brendan Carr seems more interested in settling political scores

[vjvjvjvjghv]

That's his job description