A team from the Institute of Geodesy at TU Graz has found a way to repurpose communication satellites like Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper for climate research and Earth monitoring. By analyzing the Doppler effect in satellite signals, they can track gravitational field variations, monitor sea level changes, and observe real-time weather phenomena.
The breakthrough comes as part of the FFG project Estimation, which explores alternative data sources for geodetic measurements. The Doppler effect is used to measure the satellite’s motion relative to Earth’s surface, allowing scientists to detect subtle shifts in gravity caused by environmental changes such as sea level fluctuations and groundwater depletion.
Despite challenges such as limited public data on Starlink signals, researchers have successfully detected constant frequency tones within transmissions. By tracking these tone shifts, they can estimate positions with an accuracy of 54 meters. Future work aims to improve accuracy using mobile tracking antennas and refined signal processing techniques.
If successful, this method could provide real-time, high-resolution data on Earth’s gravitational field and short-term environmental changes, complementing traditional satellite geodetic missions. This represents a game-changer for climate science and geodesy, enabling scientists to leverage thousands of existing satellites for more accurate and continuous insights into Earth’s changing environment.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/starlink-satellites-got-hijacked-for-science-and-the-results-are-unbelievable