Smart telescope startups vie to fix astronomy’s satellite challenge

Starlink, the satellite branch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, has come under fire in recent months from astronomers over concerns about the negative impact that its planned satellite clusters have reportedly had — and may continue to have — on nighttime observation.

According to a preliminary report released last month by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the satellite clusters will interfere with the ability of telescopes to peer deep into space, and will limit the amount of observable hours, as well as the quality of images taken, by observatories.

Astronomers warn of ‘worrisome’ light pollution from satellite constellations

The stakes involved are high, with projects like Starlink potentially being central to the future of global internet coverage, especially as new infrastructure implements 5G and edge computing. At the same time, satellite clusters — whether from Starlink or national militaries — could threaten the foundations of astronomical research.

Musk himself has been inconsistent in his response. Some days, he promises collaboration with scientists to solve the issue; on others, such as two weeks ago at the Satellite 2020 conference, he declared himself “confident that we will not cause any impact whatsoever in astronomical discoveries.” 

Critics have pointed fingers in many directions in search of a solution to the issue. Some astronomers demand that spacefaring companies like Musk’s look after the interests of science (Amazon and Facebook have also been developing satellite projects similar to SpaceX’s). Others ask national or international governing bodies to step in and create regulations to manage the problem. But there’s another sphere altogether that may provide a solution: startups looking to develop “smart telescopes” capable of compensating for cluster interference.

In fact, it may be these very companies, far smaller than the world’s most influential tech giants, that will heal the emerging tension here between science and business.

Too much light in the sky

The dark side to these emerging satellite clusters happens to be, as it were, a bright side. 

Starlink has been accused of affecting up to 20% of observable hours with three main factors astronomers identify as problematic. The first concern is the brightness of the satellites themselves, either due to light generated by the clusters or the degree to which they reflect sunlight. Second, these satellites travel both in clusters and often in straight lines, which creates noticeable streaks of light on photos and videos captured by telescopes. Finally, many of these clusters are in a lower orbit than many other satellites (to provide internet connectivity), which makes them more visible to observatory instruments (and sometimes the human eye).

There will soon be many more satellites in orbit in the very near future. “Today, there are about 25,000 satellites,” says Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer and telescope specialist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). “Doubling that number will double the effect on astronomical observations of all types.” According to Hainaut, the beginning and end of the night would be the periods most adversely affected.

Some national bodies, such as the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), have even considered filing complaints with the United Nations in hopes of prompting international regulations for commercial satellite ventures. Russia has also expressed concern over the potential military applications of Starlink’s infrastructure.

While Musk has been denying the impact of his satellites on scientific observation, SpaceX has taken some steps to address the brightness issue, including testing different coats of paint that might limit reflectivity. This hasn’t stopped groups like the IAU and RAS, however, from making global appeals for more rigorous regulations.

There are others, though, who propose that if you can’t fix the satellites, at least not right away, then maybe you can help telescopes themselves compensate for cluster interference. 

The rise of smart telescopes

With growing concerns from astronomers worldwide, different startups are developing smart telescopes or “smart shutters” to provide a solution that satisfies the needs of both business and science.

One of these is StealthTransit, founded by Russian engineer and businessman Vlad Pashkovsky. The company has developed mountable shutter units that can be attached to telescopes of different sizes. These shutter units are connected to computers that calculate when satellite clusters are due to appear. Once they do, the shutter units activate and block the field of vision until the satellites have moved on. While this is in progress, the astronomical camera’s photo sensor remains in integration mode and does not stop.

“Our technology can effectively protect about half of the astronomical images that are at risk from satellite clusters,” Pashkovsky says. Another 25% can be protected with a 50% probability, he continues, while the final 25% of images taken on telescopes with a large field of view may be as of yet unsalvageable. Pashkovsky holds a patent for the technology, which has been developed as a prototype while he works toward wide release.

Other products include Stellina from French startup Vaonis, perhaps the first smart telescope to be made available to the general public. Various settings, including aperture and exposure, are controlled from a smartphone app, allowing users, in theory, to make calculations and avoid interference from factors like Starlink’s clusters. 

Another product in development is French startup Unistellar’s eVscope, which boasts “autonomous field detection,” theoretically taking into account light, timing and location factors when creating images for amateur stargazers. While clusters such as Starlink’s were not accounted for when the project was launched, data on satellite location could be used to adjust viewer settings in the same way that more general sources of light pollution are filtered out.

These startups all take different approaches to stargazing; eVscope was designed as a traditional amateur telescope for home viewing, while Stellina does away with scopes and presents images on an app. StealthTransit is a lens-mountable shutter-unit rather than a full telescope and would be sold in different sizes so as to be available for amateur and professional observers alike.  

Among the startup leaders, it was Pashkovsky who courted big names in the European observation community for comment and consultation. Hainaut as well as other astronomers like Marc Sarazin and Stéphane Guisard of the ESO and Nicolai Shatsky of Moscow’s SAI Observatory, have given their support to the project. Investors have also proved interested in astronomical projects, with Pashkovsky saying that venture capital may be easier to attract for projects connected to Starlink, given that “angel investors will be able to think of themselves as being on the same chessboard as Musk.”

Should they deliver on their promise, smart telescopes and shutter units will save observatories time and money by protecting images that are incredibly complicated to generate. “Each protected image,” says Pashkovsky, “accounts for a new discovery — or unique, fleeting events in the life of the universe that will go unnoticed if they are hidden under the white traces of satellites.” 

Redefining the relationship between business, government and science

Big tech players like SpaceX, Facebook and Amazon are already committed to providing global internet coverage with their satellites, which will benefit national and international governing bodies even while they are appealed to by astronomers whose work has been disrupted. Backtracking on that promise would come at significant cost.

Governments are feeling increasingly obliged to intervene in the affairs of large tech companies, and their attempts are at risk of being perceived as authoritarian overreaching into business practices. No matter if we’re talking about Russian attempts to control cyberspace or American pushback against Chinese Huawei devices, it’s hard for governments to provide regulatory frameworks without public outcry. 

This is why startups like StealthTransit, Vaonis and Unistellar may be uniquely positioned to mitigate the conflict of interests between tech giants and scientists. The creation of national or international regulations on satellite brightness, says Hainaut, “is likely to take some time.” What these startups do is help mitigate the effect of satellites on observations until well-thought-out regulations can be designed and put into place. 

By buying more time for governments, scientists and companies to find mutually beneficial solutions, startups can help set a precedent for future collaboration over other controversial issues, such as the increasing amount of satellites in low orbit, which Hainaut ultimately calls a “bigger problem” than brightness.

“We must develop new rules for behavior in space,” Pashkovsky adds. “Starlink prompted us to think about it and take action. The more scientists and Big Tech companies see common threats … the more effective they will collaborate in the future.”