Massive Business Satellites Deploy, Surpassing Most Luminous Stars in the Nighttime Panorama
The era of obscenely large satellites is here, hindering our view of the stunning cosmos. Recently, five of the biggest communication satellites from a Texas startup, AST SpaceMobile, expanded in Earth's orbit, and this is merely the initiation of their satellite-based cellphone tower network in space.
AST SpaceMobile declared today that its first five satellites, named BlueBirds 1 to 5, expanded to their maximum size in space. Each satellite extended the largest commercial communication system ever built in low Earth orbit, covering a vast area of 693 square feet (64 square meters) when unfolded. This development is disheartening for astronomers as these extensive arrays outshine most celestial bodies in the night sky, obstructing celestial observations.
However, AST SpaceMobile is not stopping there, as the company is striving to establish the first space-based cellular broadband network directly accessible by cell phones. "The deployment of our first five BlueBird commercial satellites marks the genesis of our mission," Abel Avellan, founder and CEO of AST SpaceMobile, said in a statement. "Our team is currently designing the next generation of satellites, which will boast ten times the capacity of our current BlueBirds, further revolutionizing mobile connectivity and delivering even more significant advantages to our customers and partners worldwide."
In September 2023, AST SpaceMobile achieved a historical moment by making the first-ever 5G phone call between its prototype satellite and a Samsung Galaxy S22. The satellite's arrays connect directly to standard smartphones at broadband speeds, but this innovation comes at a cost.
In late 2022, AST SpaceMobile's prototype satellite unveiled its enormous array, outshining most celestial bodies in the sky except for the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and seven of the brightest stars. BlueWalker 3 appeared as brilliant as two of the ten brightest stars in the night sky, Procyon and Achernar, through different telescopes, according to a Nature study published in October 2023. Before unfurling its array, the satellite had a brightness magnitude of around +3.5, making it visible to the naked eye. However, after deploying its antenna array, its brightness escalated by approximately two magnitudes.
Regrettably, five additional such satellites have been added to the sky. AST SpaceMobile released its five BlueBird satellites on September 12, aiming to build a constellation of more than 100 satellites in low Earth orbit to provide nationwide coverage across the U.S.
The latest constellation underscores a concerning issue that is gradually becoming a major problem in Earth's orbit, with the number of large satellites escalating fivefold over the past 12 years, as stated in a letter sent by a group of space experts to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
"Experts from renowned universities are warning that we are in a brief window of time when we can prevent causing harm to space and our atmosphere, rather than spending decades cleaning it up," Lucas Gutterman, director of the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Designed to Last Campaign, said in the letter. "The new space race should not result in creating massive space debris."
The letter urges the FCC to adhere to the recommendations of the U.S. Government Accountability Office and include satellites in environmental reviews. AST SpaceMobile is not the only company seeking to establish cellular towers in space. SpaceX is also constructing its own constellation of satellites, with more than 6,000 Starlink satellites currently in low Earth orbit. Amazon, OneWeb, and Lynk Global are some other companies attempting to join the movement.
However, these satellites have a significant impact that cannot be ignored. "Artificial satellites, even those not visible to the naked eye, can obstruct astronomical observations that help detect asteroids and understand our place in the universe," Robert McMillan, an astronomy professor and founder of the Spacewatch Project at the University of Arizona, said in the letter.
The letter concludes, "This is a new frontier, and we should save ourselves a lot of trouble by ensuring that we progress in a manner that does not lead to significant issues for our future."
AST SpaceMobile is activelyworking on the design of the next generation of satellites, aiming to significantly increase their capacity and revolutionize mobile connectivity through space technology. (space, technology, future)
The escalating number of large satellites in Earth's orbit, such as those from AST SpaceMobile and SpaceX, is raising concerns among space experts about the potential creation of massive space debris, which could cause significant issues for our future. (space, future, concerns)
