Will a large number of satellites in the Musk Star Chain Project bring light pollution?

"Star Chain" is an ambitious project of "Iron Man in Silicon Valley" Elon Musk. It is planned to launch 19 and build a "star chain" network by 2024 to provide high-speed Internet access services to the earth from space. Many astronomers are worried that large satellite constellations will enter Earth orbit. They believe that more and more "star chain" satellites may produce a large number of reflected light signals, thus "polluting" the starry sky and affecting astronomical observation. Jeffrey C. Hall, Chairman of the Committee on Light Pollution, Radio Interference and Space Debris of AAS, further pointed out that the natural night sky is not only a resource for astronomers, but also a resource for those who look up at the stars and expect to understand and enjoy the splendor of the universe. If the natural night sky degenerates, the negative impact will go beyond astronomy.

Astronomers are worried, but people in the industry are convinced that people can't agree on whether the starry sky may be "polluted" by large satellite constellations. On the 8th, at the 234th AAS meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri, the board of directors of AAS adopted a statement indicating its position on large satellite constellations.

According to the statement, AAS has noticed that a very large satellite constellation is about to enter Earth orbit. It is predicted that the number of such satellites will increase to tens of thousands in the next few years, which may have a major adverse impact on ground and space-based astronomical research, including satellite reflection. It may seriously interfere with optical and near infrared observations, electromagnetic radiation in satellite communication band will pollute radio astronomical observations, and satellites will collide with space-based observatories. In this regard, AAS expressed concern that in low earth orbit and beyond, the possibility of multiple large satellite constellations adversely affecting each other and studying the universe is becoming more and more obvious.

Astronomers should have the most say on whether the "Star Chain" satellite will cause "pollution" to the starry sky. Their evaluation results may not affect the behavior of the industry, but I believe it will have a significant impact on ambitious satellite Internet projects. At present, AAS is communicating with Space Exploration Technology Company. "I am very happy that we have had a preliminary dialogue with Space Exploration Technology Company." Hall said, "I look forward to working with my colleagues in AAS and all stakeholders to understand and mitigate the impact of the rapid increase in the number of satellites in low Earth orbit."