According to astronomers, a huge new satellite built to connect directly with mobile phones on the ground is one of the 20 brightest objects in the night sky right now, causing serious damage to astronomical observations interference.
The satellite is AST SpaceMobile’s Bluewalker 3, which was launched on Sept. 10 and whose 64-square-meter solar panel and antenna array was just fully deployed earlier this month.
The International Astronomical Union coordinated observations from around the Earth and found the satellite to be nearly as bright as stars such as Antares and Spica, which are the 15th and 16th brightest stars in the night sky, respectively. “Only 14 stars in the night sky are brighter than BlueWalker 3. This means that under typical conditions, BlueWalker 3 is brighter than 99.8 percent of the stars visible to the naked eye,” said John Barentine of Dark Sky Consulting, USA.
It’s not just Bluewalker 3 that astronomers are concerned about, because Bluewalker 3 is just one test satellite in a so-called “Bluebird” constellation of more than 100 satellites the company aims to launch as part of its plan to build a network of satellites to deliver 5G networks from space. The Bluebird satellites could be twice the size of Bluewalker 3, which would make them even brighter.
Astronomers have been more concerned about the potential impact of giant constellations of thousands of satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink, but the International Astronomical Society says AST SpaceMobile’s plans pose new problems because they will emit strong radio waves that could interfere with astronomical observations.
Astronomers build radio telescopes as far away from human activity as possible, looking for places on Earth where cell phone coverage is limited or non-existent, and new satellites like BlueWalker 3 have the potential to worsen that situation and, if not properly mitigated, harm astronomers’ scientific work.
The IAU noted that conversations have begun with AST SpaceMobile about potential mitigation measures.
“Our goal is to use the latest technologies and strategies to minimize the impact on astronomy. We are actively working with experts on the latest innovations, including the screening of anti-reflective materials,” said a spokesperson for AST SpaceMobile.
AST SpaceMobile CEO Abel Avellan said in a statement earlier this month that its goal is to create a constellation that will eliminate dead zones in mobile networks on Earth.
