3–5 Jun 2026
Politecnico di Milano
Europe/Amsterdam timezone

The impact of large satellite constellations on astronomy

4 Jun 2026, 09:30
15m
Politecnico di Milano

Politecnico di Milano

Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milano (MI)

Speaker

Piero Benvenuti (International Astronomical Union)

Description

The exponential increase in the population of satellites in Low Earth Orbit is seriously interfering with optical, infrared and radio astronomical observations. The Centre for the Protection of Dark and Quiet Sky, created by the International Astronomical Union in 2022, is actively engaged in discussions with all concerned stakeholders on possible mitigating measures. While the majority of the current LEO population is represented by communication satellite constellations (Starlink, Amazon/Kuiper, Oneweb, Guowang, Qianfan, etc.), other types of constellations are being planned in LEO, MEO and GEO, especially concerning the transmission of space-collected solar light or solar energy to the ground. The interference of the different types of constellations on astronomy will be discussed, along with possible mitigating measures.

Which section would you like to submit your abstract to? Session 5: “How to assess the impact of space missions onto the space environment?”

Author

Piero Benvenuti (International Astronomical Union)

Presentation materials