The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, set to launch next few months in Chile, will face challenges from an influx of satellites cluttering the southern sky. Every three nights, it will produce detailed maps of stars and galaxies. However, with over 11,000 working satellites now orbiting Earth, including over 7,000 Starlink satellites launched since 2019, astronomers must find ways to cope.
The increasing satellite congestion poses a threat to precious data from observatories like Rubin’s. Researchers are racing against time to adapt, as the space environment becomes increasingly congested. The surge in satellites is largely driven by constellations providing global internet connectivity. To mitigate this issue, scientists will need to develop new strategies or risk losing valuable data from Rubin and hundreds of other observatories worldwide.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-starlink-and-other-satellites-proliferate-astronomers-learn-to-manage