An astronomer’s lament: Satellite megaconstellations are ruining space exploration

• Since 2019, I’ve watched my unencumbered enthusiasm for rocket launches soften to tepid interest, and finally sour to outright dread.
• The final nail in the coffin for my love of rocket launches came with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite megaconstellations.
• Read more:
  Soon, 1 out of every 15 points of light in the sky will be a satellite

Crowded orbits

• SpaceX has launched thousands of their own Starlink communication satellites, as well as hundreds of satellites for their direct competitors.
• As an astronomer, I’m painfully aware of what these thousands of new satellites have done to the night sky worldwide.
• Starlink satellites are the most numerous and occupy some of the lowest orbits, so they make up the majority of the satellites seen in the sky.

Lost information and knowledge

• Astronomers are the canaries in the coal mine for this rapidly expanding experiment in orbit: we see these satellites increasingly affecting our research every day.
• I have watched over the past five years as satellite streaks in my own research images from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope have changed from an unusual occurrence to lost data in nearly every image.

• Astronomy is the only way to learn about the universe, the overwhelming majority of which can never be explored by humans.
• There are a handful of telescopes in Low Earth Orbit that also have to contend with light pollution from Starlink and other megaconstellations.

Government regulation needed

• Regulation on the number of satellites in orbit would force corporations toward technology improvements and service models that use fewer satellites, keeping orbit usable for future generations.
• Read more:
  It's not too late to save the night sky, but governments need to get serious about protecting it

  Ask your government representatives to support satellite regulation, and expansion of rural broadband.

• With proper regulation, our oldest form of space exploration can continue.

Samantha Lawler receives research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.