Elon Musk-led SpaceX has announced a major upgrade to its Starlink system, which aims to reduce the risk of interference with radio telescopes. Starlink operates 6.3 thousand satellites in low Earth orbit and uses them to provide high-speed internet around the world. reports ISPreview publication.
SpaceX engineers recognized that satellite transmissions could pose a risk of interfering with astronomy research, and in response, the company worked with the National Science Foundation and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to develop a mechanism to reduce the interference.
According to the company, a working group of engineers has developed methods that will allow satellites to avoid line-of-sight transmissions from radio telescopes. This is made possible by the satellite’s phased array antenna, which can direct the satellite’s beams away from the telescopes in real time.
To implement this approach, special software was created to exchange data between radio astronomy observatories and Starlink. This framework provides the Starlink network with a planned telescope observation schedule, including the telescope’s pointing direction and the frequency range being observed. With this information, the network can dynamically direct the beams of satellites passing near the telescope’s aiming axis.
Elon Musk previously accused OpenAI and Sam Altman are involved.
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Source: Gazeta
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