Many astronomers asked the Federal Communications Commission to stop the project of launching 30,000 satellites in the second generation of the Starlink network. One of these astronomers wrote in his letter to this organization: “Please don’t take away our stars from us!” “Starlink satellites need better engineering to both produce less light and provide their service with fewer numbers.”
Andy Lawrence, a professor of astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, has stated in this regard that Starlink satellites and other satellites are already visible in wide images of the stars. The university’s astronomy community is launching a movement to force the Federal Communications Commission to suspend the SpaceX project pending further research into the impact of the company’s satellites on the planet.
Kerry Newgate, a professor of astronomy at Olin University, has also expressed that many scientists are concerned about the impact of Starlink satellites on the observation of near-Earth asteroids: “I am concerned that the launch of these satellites will disrupt the vital task of finding near-Earth asteroids. In this case, it is no longer possible to issue the necessary and timely warning about the approach of these heavenly bodies.”
SpaceX, which is responsible for launching Starlink satellites, has not responded to these protests so far.
