SpaceX Describes Exactly How They’re Planning to Make Starlink Satellites Less Visible From Earth

Paint them Black ?

:)

There doesn’t seems to be any plans to make areas of space, (orbits) free of satellites while other vast areas have satellites, so that telescopes can see things.

Then there’s the junk problem.

Things need to be tidied up.

Tau.Neutrino said:

There doesn’t seems to be any plans to make areas of space, (orbits) free of satellites while other vast areas have satellites, so that telescopes can see things.

Then there’s the junk problem.

Things need to be tidied up.

No, I haven’t seen plans to make areas of space free of satellites.

Perhaps because the same algorithms needed to remove gamma ray tracks from telescope images also work with satellites.

Tau.Neutrino said:

SpaceX Describes Exactly How They’re Planning to Make Starlink Satellites Less Visible From Earth

Paint them Black ?

:)

> Paint them Black ?

Yes. And orientation change. And sun visor. Doesn’t explain how they plan on reducing radio band leakage affecting radio telescopes, if they do.

> have all released official statements regarding Starlink and other proposed constellations.

No complaints about existing constellations then? Such as GPS?

Perhaps because the solar panel size on these is bigger.

> The Starlink satellite design was driven by the fact that they fly at a very low altitude compared to other communications satellites. We do this to prioritize space traffic safety and to minimize the latency of the signal between the satellite and the users who are getting internet service from it. Because of the low altitude, drag is a major factor in the design.

Low altitude for less space junk, that makes sense. But drag from the upper atmosphere then becomes the major operational cost by limiting lifespan.

mollwollfumble said:

> The Starlink satellite design was driven by the fact that they fly at a very low altitude compared to other communications satellites. We do this to prioritize space traffic safety and to minimize the latency of the signal between the satellite and the users who are getting internet service from it. Because of the low altitude, drag is a major factor in the design.

Low altitude for less space junk, that makes sense. But drag from the upper atmosphere then becomes the major operational cost by limiting lifespan.

one day polluters may actually have to take responsibility for their waste, pay a clean-up levy perhaps, kind of like a CO2 emissions pricing schedule, if people can actually get their shit together and get this going then maybe the high altitude junk will have a higher operational cost for its persistence after disuse