A huge satellite is about to take flight, spreading its giant antenna array to possibly block the view of the universe. The prototype satellite of the BlueWalker 3 is bright and could interfere with the view of the stars.
BlueWalker is going to be on a rocket that is going to take him to Earth. From the Kennedy Space Center. The Texas-based company is trying to beam internet from space to people's cellphones. When referring to the satellite, the Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile boasted that it was made in Texas. This bad boy has an array of antennas that will unfold in space. According to Sky and Telescope, the satellite is expected to be a bright object in the night sky.
Bright streaks across astronomy images and interfering with scientific data could be caused by the satellite reflecting sunlight back to our planet. More than 100 of the company's satellites could be sent to space by the end of 2024 if the test satellite succeeds. The BlueBirds satellites are expected to be the same size as BlueWalker 3 and could cause more interference.
Astronomers have expressed concern over the satellite's brightness as it joins a group of commercial satellite constellations. According to an astronomer at the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab, the BlueWalker satellite will be as bright as a star in the sky. The new satellites are expected to saturate Rubin observations.
Astronomers from around the world have been asked to take brightness observations of the satellite in order to understand the extent of the threat. Science programs that require twilight observations, such as searches for Earth-threatening asteroids and comets, are disproportionately affected by low Earth satellites.
BlueWalker is launching to space along with 60 of the Starlink satellites which have already disrupted astronomy. In order to build a broadband internet megaconstellation, Musk wants to launch 42,000 satellites. The Federal Communications Commission has yet to approve 12,000 satellites by the company. The company is trying to find a way to dim the brightness of their satellites so that they don't interfere with the images of the universe.
The advancement in technology brings on an exciting era for our connection, so hopefully it doesn't come at the expense of our ability to look at the stars.
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