15,000 satellites are drowning out radio telescopes and GPS signals
Radio noise from 15,000 orbiting satellites is drowning out radio telescopes and GPS.
Less than a decade ago, there were about 2,000 satellites orbiting Earth. Today there are more than 15,000.
Millions more are planned. The problem is not the satellites themselves.
It is the radio noise they leak into space. Radio telescopes rely on catching very weak cosmic signals.
They study the early universe. Satellite leakage is drowning them out.
GPS also depends on radio telescopes to work accurately. Testing at a Western Australian telescope found Starlink emissions exceeded international limits on more than half of measurements.
At current rates, researchers project that 300,000 satellites would destroy all GPS measurements altogether. Australia's radio astronomy telescopes, including the MWA and ASKAP, are world-leading.
The fix is possible now. Satellite operators need to shield electronics over wider radio frequency ranges.
They also need to lower the amount of radio energy that leaks. If action is delayed, it may be too late.
- 15,000
- Satellites today
- 2,000
- Satellites ten years ago
- 300,000
- Projected satellites to destroy GPS
- MWA and ASKAP
- Australian telescopes
Why it mattersGPS underpins timing, navigation and communications worldwide. Radio astronomy answers fundamental questions about how the universe formed and evolved.
AustraliaAustralia hosts world-class radio telescopes and the incoming SKA-Low facility in Western Australia. A loss of radio astronomy capability would hit Australian science leadership and GPS accuracy across the country.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
