SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites leaking radiation, scientists claim

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation which is operated by SpaceX and provides satellite internet access coverage to more than 55 nations. The main objective of Starlink is to provide high-speed internet coverage in remote and rural areas, but are they doing more harm than good?

In a study published on July 5 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers claimed that the constellations of satellites revolving around Earth's orbit are apparently leaking radiation that has the potential to disturb radio astronomy observations.

The research claimed that the electronics on board SpaceX's Starlink satellites are leaking low-frequency radio waves, which are separate from their allocated downlink bands.

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As quoted by media outlets, engineer Federico Di Vruno of the SKA Observatory and the International Astronomical Union, said: "This study represents the latest effort to better understand satellite constellations' impact on radio astronomy."

"Previous workshops on Dark and Quiet Skies theorized about this radiation, our observations confirm it is measurable," Di Vruno added.

SpaceX currently has an estimated 4,365 of their small internet satellites in Earth orbit, with thousands more planned.

The Elon Musk-owned company has already authorised 84 administrations around the world and has 1.5 million active users of its low-latency broadband services.

Not just SpaceX, OneWeb has over 600 and Amazon plans to launch its first set of satellites in 2024, and with the growing list, the situation becomes even more concerning.

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But scientists thought the satellites might be giving off unintended radio waves outside that band. This is what Di Vruno and his colleagues sought to investigate.

Scientists have used the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope to observe the unintended electromagnetic radiation from SpaceX's satellites.

Cees Bassa, who is an astronomer at the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) and a co-author of the recent paper said in a statement: "With LOFAR, we detected radiation between 110 and 188 MHz from 47 out of the 68 satellites that were observed."

"This frequency range includes a protected band between 150.05 and 153 MHz specifically allocated to radio astronomy by the International Telecommunications Union," Bassa added.

Researchers said that the radiation appears to be unintentional and they are coming from the electronics of the satellites and they are also not breaking any rules.

The rules applied by the International Electrotechnical Commission over electrical devices to control electromagnetic interference are not applicable in space.

The researchers have also contacted SpaceX, which said that it is working on mitigation efforts to reduce or remove the unintentional leakage.

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