US EditionSatellites May Blind Space Telescopes By 2035, Scientists Say
- On December 3, a Nature paper led by NASA research scientist Alejandro Borlaff revealed satellites can contaminate images from space telescopes in low Earth orbit due to reflected sunlight.
- Driven by falling launch costs, satellite counts rose from around 2,000 in 2019 to about 15,000 now, with commercial satellite operators planning expansions that could reach 560,000 by the 2030s in low Earth orbit.
- The researchers then modeled Hubble Space Telescope, NASA's recently launched SPHEREx, China's planned Xuntian, and ESA's proposed ARRAKIHS, estimating average satellites per exposure as 2.14, 5.64, 92, and 69 respectively.
- The analysis finds about 39.6% of Hubble images and up to 96% for SPHEREx, ARRAKIHS and Xuntian would contain satellite light streaks, raising urgent concerns for astronomical discovery.
- The paper urges global coordination between space agencies, satellite operators and astronomers, proposing lower satellite orbits and modeling to protect telescopes like James Webb Space Telescope orbiting around 1.5 million kilometers.
41 Articles
41 Articles
According to a recent NASA report, up to 40 percent of Hubble images and up to 96 percent of images from three other space telescopes could be unusable in the next decade.
Almost All Space Telescope Images Could Soon Be Contaminated, NASA Warns
Light from the half a million satellites that humanity is planning to launch into Earth's orbit in the coming years could contaminate almost all the images taken by space telescopes, NASA astronomers warned Wednesday.
Satellites keep photobombing the Hubble telescope, and it’s getting worse
A simulated image representing the projected contamination by satellite trails in one of the future space telescopes. The stripes of light reflected from artificial telecommunication satellites outshine the otherwise pristine image of two galaxies interacting in the background. | Image: NASA / Borlaff, Marcum, Howell (Nature, 2025) It’s getting harder and harder for the Hubble and other telescopes orbiting Earth to capture pristine images thank…
NASA study shows how satellite ‘light pollution’ hinders space telescopes
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) – An exponential increase in the number of satellites placed in low-Earth orbit has brought advances in telecommunications including broadband access in rural and remote areas worldwide. It also has caused a surge in light pollution in space that imperils the work done by orbiting astronomical observatories. A new NASA-led study focusing on four space telescopes – two currently operational and two plann…
Satellite-generated lights threaten future images of the Universe captured by space telescopes, warns NASA.
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