Impacts Reaching Far Beyond the Realm of Astronomy

Recently, the global astronomical community has once again lodged a strongly worded petition with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Signatories to this petition encompass major global astronomical institutions, with the American Astronomical Society (AAS) at its core, and include the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), among others. This marks one of the most significant 'collective protests' by the global astronomical community in recent memory.

This 12-page protest document directly challenges two 'alarming' commercial space ventures:

The first is SpaceX's ambitious plan to deploy a total of one million AI-equipped satellites in low-Earth orbit; the second is startup Reflect Orbital's long-term strategy to launch 50,000 orbital mirror satellites.

The global astronomical community cautions that if these plans proceed without adequate regulation, the breathtaking night sky that has been familiar to humanity for millions of years will undergo a complete 'transformation'.

Image Source: Josh Dury

From Communication to Computing: The 'Million-Satellite' Boom in Commercial Space

The history of commercial spaceflight may be brief, but its expansion is rapidly accelerating.

In 2015, SpaceX unveiled its Starlink program, aiming to deploy approximately 12,000 broadband internet satellites in low-Earth orbit. Concerns were already raised at the time about potential changes to the night sky, but few could have foreseen that this was merely the beginning.

Eleven years ago, the primary goal of the Starlink program was to provide satellite communications; however, with the advent of the AI era, SpaceX's vision has shifted towards 'space-based edge computing'.

In early 2026, SpaceX announced an even grander plan: to launch one million low-orbit data center satellites into space, and submitted an application to the FCC. The FCC concluded public consultations on this plan in March.

According to Musk's vision, relocating high-energy computing infrastructure to space could harness the frigid backdrop of outer space and fully unleash AI's potential. Meanwhile, Reflect Orbital's planned deployment of 50,000 orbital mirrors (each roughly 10 meters wide) in the future aims to 'deliver' sunlight to ground-based customers during the late-night hours (midnight).

Conceptual Image of Mirror Satellites (Image Source: CBC)

The scale of these two projects is unprecedented in the history of commercial space. When combined with other low-Earth orbit broadband satellite projects (such as Amazon's Leo and the UK's OneWeb), the number of global commercial satellites in orbit is shifting from the 'ten thousand' to the 'million' mark. The rapidity of this expansion far exceeds the capacity of existing human astronomical observation systems.

What also troubles astronomers is the stance of regulatory agencies. The U.S. FCC and others seem inclined to approve these plans without mandating comprehensive environmental impact assessments, such as EIAs. 'The current presumption is that these applications should be approved, and opponents need to provide evidence of problems,' noted one astronomer.

Illuminated Night Sky: Impacts Extending Far Beyond Astronomy

Regarding the attitude of regulatory agencies, some astronomers directly point out that the massive commercial space programs currently being advanced will not only affect the astronomical environment but also have significant repercussions on Earth's natural environment. The fact that regulatory agencies are not conducting comprehensive environmental reviews is deeply concerning.

To understand why astronomers are so incensed, Leitech (ID: leitech) believes it is crucial to first grasp the specific impacts of commercial spaceflight on the night sky.

Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), made a vivid analogy: if viewed directly, Reflect Orbital's orbital mirrors would be several times brighter than a full moon. Even when observed at an angle, their brightness would rival that of Venus—the second-brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. 'This is tantamount to destroying a core part of humanity's heritage,' Massey argued.

Massey also pointed out that while SpaceX's planned one million data center satellites may have lower individual brightness, the sheer scale of the constellation means that at any given moment, thousands of star-like points of light will traverse the sky. This implies that even on nights without mirrors, Earth's night sky will become 'brightly lit'.

Another astronomer revealed that if SpaceX's plan for one million orbital data center satellites comes to fruition, the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile could lose up to 10% of pixels per image, with some observation types experiencing pixel losses of up to 30%. 'We typically keep technical losses below 3%, and total losses due to weather factors around 10%,' the astronomer noted.

For astronomical research relying on observations of faint celestial objects, such losses are catastrophic. The overall increase in night sky brightness potentially caused by Reflect Orbital's mirror constellation will also force astronomers to significantly extend exposure times for photography. One astronomer stated, 'We will no longer be able to observe faint celestial targets. The consequences will be disastrous.'

In recent years, the global astronomical community has deployed the most powerful observational equipment in history to push the boundaries of human understanding of the universe. The $10 billion Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which began operations last year, and the many new large telescopes currently being built in Chile will also face severe interference from the operation of massive satellite constellations in the future.

At the same time, astronomers estimate that approximately three old satellites or discarded rocket debris currently disintegrate in the atmosphere daily. More frequent rocket launches will further exacerbate atmospheric pollution.

Beyond the 'catastrophic' increase in night sky brightness and obscured astronomical views, the light pollution from commercial spaceflight will also trigger a chain reaction affecting Earth's ecological environment and human culture.

Astronomers argue that fundamentally altering the night sky through massive commercial space programs will have profound impacts not only within astronomy but also on Earth's ecosystems, human cultural heritage, and humanity's overall connection to the universe.

Numerous studies have already demonstrated that artificial light sources severely disrupt nocturnal migration in birds, insects, and marine life. When the night sky is significantly brightened by satellites and mirrors, species relying on dark ecosystems will face unprecedented survival 'anxiety' and even 'stress'.

Astronomers also point out that launching satellites into space without quantity limits or restraint will significantly increase the risk of space debris colliding with Earth.

Culturally, the significance of the night sky to human civilization is equally profound. Whether it's ancient Greek star myths, China's Twenty-Eight Mansions, or modern astronomical enlightenment, countless inspirations for human civilization have been rooted in a night sky unpolluted by artificial light. When this sky becomes unrecognizable, the losses may be immeasurable in economic terms.

Multilateral Collaboration to Protect Humanity's Beautiful Night Sky

It should be noted that SpaceX and other commercial space companies are attempting to reduce satellite reflectivity through coating technologies such as dielectric mirror films; however, astronomers argue that these current technologies will be insignificant in the face of the future 'million-satellite' matrix.

Some in the astronomical community adopt a more radical stance, arguing that 'to protect the brilliant night sky that has existed for billions of years, the only option is to set a red line for the total number of satellites in orbit, just like limiting pollutant emissions.'

However, the global astronomical community's overall opposition remains relatively 'moderate'. Many acknowledge that satellite technology innovations can indeed bring significant societal benefits and realize visions such as universal internet access and space-based computing for humanity.

The astronomical community's bottom line is that the 'beautiful night sky' should be regarded as a precious natural environmental resource shared by all humanity and Earth's ecosystems, not as a blank asset that commercial companies can freely exploit.

Neither technological improvements nor soft coordination can replace systematic institutional arrangements. Astronomical observation is a common human endeavor, and the beautiful night sky is a shared heritage of humanity and nature. When commercial interests conflict with these, a governance framework balancing efficiency and fairness is needed.

Currently, the global astronomical community is uniting multiple stakeholders to advocate for establishing a forward-looking regulatory and governance system for the space environment (especially low-Earth orbit) at the U.S. FCC level.

In this new regulatory and governance system for the 'beautiful night sky,' Leitech (ID: leitech) believes commercial space companies, the astronomical community, regulatory agencies, and others can play more proactive and critical roles.

Image Source: Doubao AI Generation

Commercial space companies, at the self-regulation level, should make 'light pollution control' a critical indicator in satellite design and operation: from satellite surface coatings, attitude control algorithms, orbital altitude selection, and reflectivity metrics, the specific impacts on the night sky environment should be systematically considered during the design phase.

At the external regulation level, commercial space industry associations could develop industry-wide satellite brightness upper limits and best practice guidelines for light pollution control based on input from the astronomical community, incorporating compliance into corporate rating systems.

The astronomical community could shift from passive advocacy to active participation, such as establishing a regular commercial space dialogue platform, providing quantifiable light pollution control metrics for satellite design using professional knowledge, and even participating in formulating satellite design and deployment rules.

Astronomical research institutions could also calculate acceptable total satellite counts or brightness upper limits in orbit based on different astronomical observation tasks' sensitivity thresholds to light pollution, providing this data to regulatory authorities and relevant companies.

Additionally, astronomers need to increase investment in basic research on satellite light pollution phenomena. Many current modeling approaches remain highly uncertain, and the astronomical community has a responsibility to provide more precise quantitative data to inform regulatory decisions.

At the regulatory agency level, the current global commercial space regulatory framework generally lags behind technological development. The U.S. FCC's rapid advancement of SpaceX and Reflect Orbital's applications reflects regulatory agencies' dilemma when facing emerging technologies: overly strict approvals may stifle innovation, while overly lax ones may allow irreversible damage to public resources like the night sky.

However, global space regulatory agencies like the U.S. FCC must also give serious weight to the astronomical community's recommendations, including whether to subject commercial space to mandatory environmental impact assessments (such as EIAs) and whether to set red lines for total in-orbit satellite counts or light pollution metrics, establishing necessary restrictions as with other pollutants (sources). This must be based on thorough regulatory deliberation and open discussion.

At the operational level, regulatory authorities could promote the establishment of the following mechanisms:

1. Mandate commercial space companies to publicly disclose satellite reflectivity, orbital lifespan, and end-of-life disposal plans before satellite launches;

2. Establish an independent Astronomical and Night Sky Environmental Impact Assessment Committee to conduct special reviews of large-scale satellite constellation projects;

3. Create international coordination mechanisms, as satellite light pollution is a cross-border issue, and single-country regulations have inherent limitations.

The beautiful night sky has guided human voyages and inspired scientific curiosity. As a matter of global and natural significance, protecting it requires not only greater conceptual emphasis from all parties but also joint action to advance the gradual improvement and formation of a global night sky regulatory and governance system.

References:

1. SpaceX plan for 1 million orbiting AI data centers could ruin astronomy, scientists say

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/spacexs-1-million-orbiting-ai-data-centers-could-ruin-astronomy-scientists-say

2. 'This is really intolerable': Astronomers protest giant orbiting mirror project and SpaceX's million AI satellites

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/this-is-really-intolerable-astronomers-protest-giant-orbiting-mirror-project-and-spacexs-million-ai-satellites

Commercial Spaceflight, Space Light Pollution, Satellites, SpaceX

Source: Leitech

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