5G vs. Astronomy and Environment; sky loss

Recently hosted by the Astronomical Society in Edinburgh sky loss.

“Thousands of satellites are now being launched into low Earth orbit in ‘giant constellations’ to provide us with high-speed internet from space, potentially tens of thousands of other satellites, as competition rages. But many astronomers are outraged, as the satellites glimmer through their images Are we selling space? Polluting our last wilderness? Are we losing our right to see the stars? Opening up ads in the sky? Or are these things a reasonable price to pay to get the world online at the fastest possible speeds?”

Losing the Sky movie, 2 Minutes Trailer

Losing Heaven, a two-hour webinar in Edinburgh

Andy Lawrence writesAnd

“I love astronomy. I love space exploration. I love the internet. Until 2020, I was assuming these three don’t conflict, but rather feed each other in a virtuous cycle. Now it seems like it was just a daydream of the age of the moon. A new generation of satellites.” Giant – fleets of thousands of low-orbit satellites – is on its way, with the goal of producing a global high-speed Internet connection everywhere. But these objects pollute the night sky, scatter across our astronomical images, darting loud and unexpectedly into our radio telescopes, and increasing the risk of spacecraft collisions, driving us toward escaping space debris that could make the space industry unsustainable. [ ] The problem of sky pollution is really an example of environmental damage, and the tragedy of the commons – the sky seems to be a free resource, so why not use it? But we all pay the price. [ ] I see the loss of heaven through unimaginable commercial exploitation as an example of environmental damage: the last cursed straw. “

SpaceX ‘proposed satellites will be barely visible’

as such Hua Liu writes,

On May 23 (2019) SpaceX entrepreneur Elon Musk launched 60 Starlink communications satellites aboard a single rocket. Within days, skywatchers around the world spotted them flying in formations as they orbited the Earth and reflected sunlight from their surfaces shiny metallic;

SpaceX He suggested that the satellites would be barely visible, if at all. But for a few days after launch, the Starlink constellation shone as bright as many of the constellations, and SpaceX plans to launch thousands more of these spacecraft as part of an effort to provide Internet access to everyone in the world. Starlink satellites and similar swarms being developed by other companies could eventually outnumber the stars visible in the night sky.”

Megaconstellations

in the article “The uncertain future of the night sky” Lukas Zalesky wrote,

Over the next decade, many private industry companies (including SpaceX and Kuiper Systems from Amazon, Samsung and Boeing) plan to launch between several hundred and several thousand satellites into “low Earth orbit” (LEO). Orbit around LEO at an altitude of about 1,000 km. I think There are currently about 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, and most of these objects are small debris orbiting at altitudes of more than 600 km.. On the other hand, Starlink satellites make up the majority of large objects (>100 kg) orbiting at a distance of less than 600 km. Due to their low orbits and sizes, most of these satellites are bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. In low Earth orbit, satellites orbit the Earth about once every 90 minutes, which means they have little time to communicate with facilities on Earth. Only a huge array of satellites can provide consistent and unified communications to populated areas across the Earth.”

American Astronomical Society (AAS)

On June 8, at the 234th meeting of the AAS in St. Louis, Missouri, the AAS Board of Trustees adopted the following position statement on satellite constellations:

The American Astronomical Society notes with concern the imminent deployment of very large constellations of satellites into Earth’s orbit. The number of these satellites is expected to increase to tens of thousands over the next several years, creating the potential for significant negative effects on terrestrial and space astronomy. These effects can include significant perturbation of optical and near-infrared observations through direct satellite detection in reflected and emitted light; contamination of radio astronomical observations with electromagnetic radiation in the satellite communications bands; And collision with space observatories. AAS recognizes that outer space is an increasingly available resource with many possible uses. However, the possibility of several large satellite constellations negatively affecting each other and the study of the universe is becoming increasingly evident, both in LEO and beyond. “

IAU: outdated regulations

Space.com writer Teresa Poltarova notes,

The International Astronomical Union is calling for the clear night sky to be protected by the United Nations as astronomers struggle with exposures ravaged by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite trains.

Space debris experts have always warned of the deterioration of the tropical environment. As they say, the regulations were put in place long ago when there were far fewer satellites rushing around the Earth. Even worse, guidelines, such as the requirement to de-orbit a spacecraft within 25 years of the mission’s end, are not always observed. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), only about 20% of satellites in low Earth orbit have been successfully ejected from orbit at the end of their mission.

According to the European Space Agency, about 11,370 satellites have been launched since 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully orbited a buzzing ball called Sputnik. About 6,900 of these satellites are still in orbit, but only 4,000 are still operating. Starlink, at a monthly rate of over a hundred satellites launched, may wreak havoc on an already dangerous tropical environment.”

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Spaceports on Earth. More environmental impact

Stop5G International Notes Spaceports, also known as cosmodrome and launch pads, are sites designed to launch spacecraft into orbit. These complexes are vast because they often include one or more launch sites, storage and production facilities, and runways. Most often, missile launch sites are located far from populated areas and near water bodies, so in the event of an explosion, human life will not be in danger. Wildlife is not taken into account. This results in the targeting of mostly pure areas of nature for these complexes. Communities living on land converted into launch pads campaign to hold their land. Battles between satellite companies seeking building permits, and rural communities and environmental advocates opposing these new sites, are repeated around the world.

SpaceX’s FAA Problems, Boca Chica

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“” Elon always said that this is the place to launch rockets because there is nothing Here, it’s just a big wasteland. But this is not true. It is a great place for beach birds. It has to be one of the best places for shorebirds in the country.

[…]

Much of the land here is part of the 10,680-acre Boca Chica National Wildlife Refuge in Lower Rio Grande. Kemp’s ridley turtles, the world’s most endangered sea turtle, nest on beaches; Dolphins swim in the nearby Laguna Madre. The only remaining breeding population of ocelots in the United States lives here. The last confirmed sighting of a jaguarundi in the United States occurred nearby, in 1986, and rumors may remain.

[…]

However, it is the birds that distinguish Boca Chica from each other: egrets, hawks, pelicans, plovers, sandpipers, sparrows, grouse, and others. There are many bird species in the Rio Grande Valley that cannot be found anywhere else in the United States, but this is a rough time for shorebirds up and down the Gulf Coast. Lots of development, many vehicles, changing climate. The Boca Chica part of the wildlife refuge aims to provide a sanctuary.” – Texas Monthly

It operates outside its scope

MyRGVnews Reports

“The 480-foot-tall SpaceX launch tower being built in Boca Chica Beach may have to depart, depending on the results of an ongoing Federal Aviation Administration review of the company’s evolving plans for the site.

In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration conducted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and issued a decision record approving Boca Chica for up to 12 annual commercial launches of the SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. However, the company’s plans for the site changed, and in 2019 the Starship development program began at the site, which SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk named Starbase.

SpaceChannel ReportsAnd

In 2014, SpaceX has been approved by FEIS (Final Environmental Impact Statement) to launch the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets from Boca Chica TX, but as of today, the site has never been used for this purpose. Instead, operations focused on Starship and Super Heavy Booster.

Working outside the scope of their MOU raised several issues.

Excessive closures of Boca Chica Beach State Park and Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge have exceeded expectations.

The Rio Grande Valley Sierra Club, the Corpus Christi-based Coastal Bend & Estuaries, and the American Bird Conservancy believe The impacts have been and will continue to be much greater than what was identified in FEIS 2014 resulting in unexpected/unexpected consequences such as explosions, wildfires and increased traffic, leading to more risks to various endangered species.”

Not to mention the non-small issues of space weapon, and mankind’s newest adventure, space tourism.

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