Astronomer Proposes 100,000 Satellite Cap to Protect Astronomy

Astronomer Oliver Hainaut from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released a peer-reviewed study in Astronomy & Astrophysics, suggesting that limiting the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit to 100,000 is crucial for safeguarding astronomical research. Presently, around 14,000 satellites are operational, primarily by SpaceX. Hainaut cautions that proposals for 1.7 million satellites, including the bright Reflect Orbital satellite with a 60-foot mirror, could severely impact humanity's cosmic perspective. SpaceX plans to deploy one million satellites and has proposed orbital AI data centers. Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina, highlighted ongoing requests for larger, brighter, and lower satellites. Hainaut's simulations indicate that one million satellites could severely disrupt observations at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Very Large Telescope in Chile. He noted that while he considers 50,000 a better limit, 100,000 would still lead to significant losses, particularly if satellites exceed visual magnitude seven.