SpaceX's Starlink will soon have major design changes as part of the independent aerospace agency's efforts to mitigate its satellites' brightness.
Ever since Elon Musk announced that he plans to create a giant artificial constellation consisting of thousands of Starlink cube sats, experts have shared their concerns.
Astronomers, astrologers, and other researchers studying the night sky said that they are worried that the satellites will reflect too much light, preventing them from observing important space objects.
Now, SpaceX announced three solutions it would use to mitigate Starlink's brightness.
SpaceX's Starlink Design Change To Reduce Brightness
According to PC Mag's latest report, the independent space company is now working on several enhancements for its Starlink cube satellites.
Also Read : SpaceX Starlink Internet Service Expands in Southeast Asia, Starting in the Philippines! NTC Gives Go Signal
SpaceX shared its exact plans via its official "Brightness Mitigation Best Practices for Satellite Operators" document.
These include the following:
- SpaceX plans to use black paint on all components of its Starlink satellite. The space agency explained that even the small parts of the cube sats could contribute to the overall brightness.
- SpaceX will use second-gen dielectric mirror films, which offer 10 times better brightness reduction capability. This new film is claimed to be more efficient than the black visor foam, as well as the first-gen dielectric mirror film.
- SpaceX also announced that it would change the direction of its Starlink solar arrays, pointing them away from the Sun once the cube sats reach the dark parts of Earth.
SpaceX's Older Starlink Brightness Mitigation Plans
Before the space agency announced its three new brightness mitigation plans, SpaceX had already tried various methods to reduce the reflected light of its Starlink satellites.
One of these is using a sun visor to block the Sun's incoming light. However, this component also affects the laser links of Starlink satellites.
Because of this, SpaceX decided to remove the Starlink sun virus. If you want to learn more about the recent efforts made by SpaceX to lessen Starlink's brightness, you can click this link.
Recently, experts claimed that SpaceX Starlink could allow the United States to dominate cyberspace.
On the other hand, SpaceX Starlink helped Ukraine users, allowing hundreds of thousands of residents to have an internet connection.
For more news updates about SpaceX and its other plans, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
