SpaceX will launch thousands of internet-broadcasting, communication satellites into orbit over the coming years. One of the costs is the interference with ground-based astronomical observations. Bright satellites reflect the Sun and create bright streaks through images, ruining the data. The radio bands used by the satellites will drown out radio-based astronomy that once observed in those bands–blacking out studies of signs of life and the distant past of the Universe.
Tag: SpaceX
Russian response to US sanctions leads to innovation from US aerospace industry
Major US sanctions on Russia in the past decade have lead the Russian space agency director to threaten restrictions on NASA and astronauts. These comments led to uncertainty in Russia’s reliability to maintain necessary operations on the International Space Station (ISS). To secure the future of the ISS, NASA and private spaceflight companies have had to respond with innovation to create replacements and alternatives.
Forgotten Rocket to Hit the Moon: first debris, but not the last
A forgotten SpaceX rocket from 2015 is going to hit the moon next month. With a human presence soon to be established on the Moon and in its orbit, managing dangerous space debris is a responsibility we need to prioritize.