The astronomy community is creating a center to work with companies and governments to prevent satellite networks, including SpaceX's Starlink, from polluting the night sky.
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The effort comes from the International Astronomical Union, which has 12,000 members worldwide. On Thursday, the union announced a new “IAU Center for the Protection of Dark and Quiet Skies from Satellite Constellation Interference.”.
The center was created out of concerns that next-generation satellite networks will one day interfere with astronomical observations. SpaceX's Starlink, for example, is designed to provide high-speed broadband to millions of users around the planet. But to do that, the company needs to launch tens of thousands of satellites into orbit, which risk streaking across the night sky.
The streaks won't just bombard astronomy images. They could disrupt scientific observations, including of near-Earth asteroids, the IAU said in a press conference Thursday.
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However, the new IAU center isn’t necessarily trying to stop satellite launches. Instead, the effort is about “mitigating” the negative impacts of upcoming constellations as companies develop them. The IAU stressed that the center focuses on a “collaborative approach” with the satellite industry.
According to Walker, the IAU has already established relationships with three internet satellite companies, including SpaceX, Amazon's Project Kuiper and OneWeb, and is in talks with others. "A guidelines agreement with the industry is in the works right now," he added. "We are confident that we can agree on some mitigation solutions before the actual design of the satellites begins."
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Additionally, the center plans to find best practices that companies can implement when building their satellites to prevent them from reflecting too much light into the night sky.
At the same time, the IAU plans to lobby lawmakers and policymakers—such as the FCC, congressional committees, and the United Nations—about the need for better regulation.
Information source: pcmag.com
