<
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/27/low-orbit-satellite-companies-respond-to-scientists-concerns-about-light-and-environmental-pollution-with-even-bigger-brighter-satellites/>
"Scientists say that low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations being built
by Amazon, Starlink, and AT&T pose a dire threat to astronomy and scientific
research, and that too little is being done to address the issue.
Back in 2022, scientists declared Starlink satellite constellations an
“existential threat for astronomy,” noting that the reflection and light
pollution (Musk claimed would never happen in the first place) is making it far
more difficult to study the night sky, a problem researchers say can be
mitigated somewhat but never fully eliminated. That’s bad.
Worse, perhaps, is that more recent studies have shown that the disposable
nature of these satellites means a lot of them will be constantly burning up in
orbit, releasing all kinds of problematic chemicals and metals upon re-entry.
It’s bad enough that scientists say it could imperil the repairs we’ve made to
the ozone layer. That, is also, in case it’s not clear, bad.
In response, companies like AT&T and their Texas-based startup partners have
responded by launching hundreds of even larger and brighter low-Earth orbit
disposable satellites:
“The prototype satellite, BlueWalker 3, launched in September 2022 and
unfurled its array around two months later. The company was quite proud of
its size, “Made in TX—size matters!” Avellan boasted on Twitter, when
referring to BlueWalker 3. Astronomers, however, were not amused.
BlueWalker 3 appeared as bright as two of the ten brightest stars in the
night sky, Procyon and Achernar, through the lenses of different telescopes,
according to a Nature study published in October 2023. Before unfurling
its array, the satellite had a brightness magnitude of around +3.5, making
it visible to the naked eye. However, after deploying its antenna array, its
brightness increased by about two magnitudes.”
The justification for these services is that the companies are helping connect
the disconnected. But the high price tag of services like Starlink means that
the people most in need of connection (tribal, rural areas) often can’t afford
them (AT&T has never been known for affordability).
Basic physics and capacity issues mean these services often don’t scale well,
inevitably resulting in weird network throttling, caps, and other restrictions
you’re not going to see on traditional fiber or even 5G wireless. Such networks
are also expensive to maintain.
Low-Earth orbit satellite service definitely has its place. It’s great for
niche applications (disaster recovery, war, some scattered rural access for
those who can afford it), but it’s not really any sort of broad panacea for
U.S. broadband access. In many instances, you’re still better off pushing
“future proof” fiber deeper into rural areas and then using 5G or fixed
wireless to deliver last mile access. Especially once you factor in the
potential harm to the environment or scientific research."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
