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4w ago

Starlink’s Unintended Signals Breach Protected Radio Frequencies

A Curtin University analysis of 76 million images reveals widespread electronic leaks from Starlink satellites, prompting urgent calls for regulatory reforms

Conceptual image of a Starlink satellite orbiting Earth. (Image by PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek)
Sixty Starlink satellites are nestled in the cargo bay of a Falcon 9 rocket that's about to enter orbit. Image via Space X / Wikimedia Commons. (CC0 1.0 Universal)
Starlink satellites interfere with space research, claim astronomers concerned about observations
Falcon 9 lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, delivering 60 Starlink satellites to orbit (Credit : US Air Force)

Overview

  • The July 2025 Curtin survey analysed 76 million SKA-Low prototype images and detected more than 112,000 unintended emissions from 1,806 Starlink satellites.
  • Rapid deployments added 477 satellites in a four-month period, intensifying the frequency of interference events recorded by radio telescopes.
  • Electronic noise from onboard components was found leaking into the protected 150.8 MHz band, with 703 satellites breaching this astronomy-only spectrum.
  • International Telecommunication Union regulations cover only intentional transmissions, leaving unintentional emissions unregulated and difficult to filter out.
  • Astronomers are urging the adoption of updated engineering standards and international policy reforms to safeguard the Square Kilometre Array and other observatories.