SpaceX do amazing work on the spaceflight and technology stuff, but they could use a bit of work on their consultation and collaboration skills. Starlink, their satellite constellation program designed to bring broadband to the globe via tens of thousands of tiny communications satellites, will increase the number of shiny objects orbiting the Earth by a factor of ten. That's a big issue for astronomers, and they're pretty upset about it. But it's bigger than that. This is about who owns the sky, whether our view of the universe deserves protecting, and gets to have a voice in decisions like this.
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Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.
On the web: syzygy.fm | Twitter: @syzygypod
Things we talked about in this episode:
SpaceX’s Starlink
Some good articles about the issue: Forbes, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, Space.com
Forbes article on some ways Starlink could be made better
Official statements from the International Astronomical Union, the International Dark Sky Association, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Change.org petition about Starlink