Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are ‘leaking’ radiation into protected wavelength bands and this can indirectly impact WiFi and GPS!

In an age of rapid satellite deployment, the sky above is not just getting more crowded but also becoming noisier with unintended radio wave emissions. Satellite swarms orbiting Earth, particularly the second-generation Starlink satellites, are leaking more electromagnetic radiation than ever before. This radiation, which bleeds into protected wavelength bands reserved for radio astronomy, is raising serious concerns among astronomers and researchers.

Starlink v2 satellites: A significant increase in radiation

The second-generation Starlink satellites, known as the v2mini and v2mini Direct-to-Cell versions, are at the centre of this issue. These satellites are leaking up to 32 times more radiation than their predecessors. When first addressed in 2023, SpaceX acknowledged the problem and stated it was working on a solution. However, with 6,398 satellites now in orbit, the situation has only worsened.

Cees Bassa, an astronomer with the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), highlighted the alarming data. "Compared to the faintest astrophysical sources that we observe with LOFAR, unintended electromagnetic radiation from Starlink satellites is 10 million times brighter," says Bassa. The gap between these signals is as vast as comparing the faintest stars visible to the naked eye to the brightness of the full Moon. With SpaceX launching approximately 40 second-generation Starlink satellites weekly, the problem is intensifying rapidly.

While SpaceX is currently the largest player in low-Earth orbit, they are not alone in this burgeoning satellite race. A recent study has shown that constellation satellites are leaking radio waves outside the 10.7-to-12.7 gigahertz range used for communication downlink. Even more concerning is that some of this leakage occurs in the 150.05-to-153 MHz range, a band crucial for radio astronomy. These unintentional emissions interfere with sensitive astronomical observations, posing a serious threat to the future of space exploration.

Understanding the impact

Using the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) in Europe, a network of around 20,000 radio antennas, scientists conducted detailed observations to measure these unintended emissions. They detected radiation from 97 Starlink satellites in the 110-to-188 MHz frequency range, with emissions from the v2mini versions significantly stronger than their predecessors.

Currently, no regulations are in place to address this unintended electromagnetic radiation from satellite constellations. As more satellites enter orbit, these emissions are expected to grow brighter and more disruptive. Researchers are urging the implementation of new regulations and calling on companies like SpaceX to prioritise reducing these emissions as part of their sustainable space policies.

"Humanity is clearly approaching an inflexion point where we need to take action to preserve our sky as a window to explore the Universe from Earth," says engineer Federico Di Vruno of the SKA Observatory. He notes that satellite companies, including Starlink, should take steps to minimise this unintended radiation, as it aligns with their broader goals of sustainable space exploration.

Radio astronomy has been instrumental in many of the technologies we take for granted today, including WiFi, GPS, and medical imaging. If radio astronomy is compromised, it could have unforeseen consequences that extend beyond the study of the cosmos.

Jessica Dempsey, ASTRON’s general and scientific director, emphasises the need for collaboration between regulators and industry players. "We just need the regulators to support us, and the industry to meet us halfway. Without mitigations, very soon the only constellations we will see will be human-made."

Meanwhile, SpaceX has not commented on the growing radiation issue yet. However, with increasing pressure from the scientific community, the hope is that action will be taken before it’s too late.