Up to 1 million satellites in orbit? the space race raising questions about who controls space

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are increasingly disrupting observations of the night sky, with astronomers warning that plans for hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of additional satellites could make the problem much worse. Australian astrophotographer Dr John Goldsmith says at least 20 Starlink satellites can cross his camera’s view in just two minutes. His images of the stars above Lake Ballard, Western Australia, are now marked by bright streaks.

The concern extends beyond photography. Satellites reflect sunlight into telescope images and transmit radio signals that can interfere with the faint emissions astronomers are trying to detect from distant galaxies.

More than 17,000 satellites now orbit Earth

The number of active satellites has risen from fewer than 5,000 a decade ago to more than 17,000, according to the CelesTrak data cited in the source material. The proposed expansion could be far larger. SpaceX has proposed a constellation of up to one million orbital data centre satellites, while China has filed proposals for another 203,000 satellites. These plans could put further pressure on low Earth orbit, where satellites operate relatively close to the planet. Australia is particularly important for astronomy because its remote regions offer dark skies and low levels of radio interference. The country also played a role in broadcasting the first televised images of Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon in 1969.

Radio telescopes face a different kind of interference

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), being built in Australia and South Africa, is designed to detect extremely faint radio signals from space. Federico Di Vruno, SKAO’s spectrum manager, has warned that even relatively weak satellite emissions can overwhelm astronomical signals. He compared the effect to having a bright torch suddenly shone into someone’s eyes in a dark room. Research by Curtin University and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research found satellite interference in up to 30 per cent of test images over four months, according to the supplied report.

Who controls the future of Earth’s orbit?

The debate also raises questions about space governance, competition and debris. Dr Cassandra Steer of the Australasian Centre for Space Governance warned that defunct satellites, rocket bodies and collisions leave dangerous debris in orbit. The European Space Agency’s Zero Debris Charter aims to make space debris neutral by 2030.

For Goldsmith, the consequences are also cultural. Satellite streaks and artificial light threaten views of the Milky Way, including the Indigenous Australian tradition of the Emu in the Sky, which is formed from dark spaces within the galaxy. The challenge is to balance satellite services with the need to protect astronomy, safe access to orbit and humanity’s shared view of the night sky.