Satellite light pollution could compromise up to 96% of images from space telescopes by 2035, posing a serious threat to astronomical research, according to a new report.
The Hubble Space Telescope drifts through space in a picture taken from the Space Shuttle Discovery during Hubble 's second servicing mission in 1997. A dramatic rise in the number of internet satellites orbiting Earth could make it impossible for the Hubble Space Telescope and other billion-dollar space telescopes to observe the universe, according to new researchThe study estimates that up to 96% of images from some space observatories could be contaminated by reflected sunlight from satellites by 2035, raising urgent concerns about the future of astronomical discovery.
Once assumed to be immune from such disruptions because of their location above Earth’s atmosphere, the increasing density of satellites in low Earth orbit is to blame.The report comes after an unprecedented boom in satellites in low-Earth orbit. In 2019, there were around 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. That number has now surged to 15,000 and looks set to accelerate thanks to reduced launch costs and commercial expansion. In fact, the current number of satellites is less than 3% of those planned to be launched in the next decade.Until now, it’s the effects of satellite constellations on ground-based observatories that have been concerning astronomers, particularly with four flagship, multi-billion dollar projects in development, including the Vera Rubin Observatory, Extremely Large Telescope and Giant Magellan Telescope. However, these new findings suggest that space-based telescopes may also be at risk.A 333-second exposure by the DECam on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile shows streaks said to be from 19 SpaceX Starlink satellites.Led by Alejandro Borlaff, a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, the researchers simulated how reflected light from satellites would affect four major space-based observatories orbiting between 249-497 miles in low Earth orbit. According toThe study projects that about 39.6% of Hubble’s images will contain light streaks from satellites, and as much as 96% for SPHEREx, ARRAKIHS and Xuntian. The researchers also calculated the average number of satellites likely to appear in each exposure: 2.14 for Hubble, 5.64 for SPHEREx, 69 for ARRAKIHS and 92 for Xuntian. Xuntian, due to its lower orbit (about 280 miles/450 kilometers, and ARRAKIHS, due to its long exposure times and wide field of view, are particularly vulnerable compared to Hubble, according to the researchers.The study calls for global coordination between space agencies, satellite operators and astronomers to develop strategies that balance commercial needs with the protection of scientific research. One mitigation strategy proposed by the researchers is to ensure that satellites remain in orbits lower than those of scientific telescopes to reduce the chance of satellites crossing telescope sight lines. It’s not the first time that satellites in low Earth orbit have been shown to affect astronomical observations by Hubble. In 2023, a letter
Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Starlink Hubble Rubin Megaconstellations Vera Rubin Extremely Large Telescope ARRAKIHS Xuntian
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