Satellites in the Frame: a New Challenge for Earth Observation

Starlink and other megaconstellations now interfere not only with telescopes but also with Earth imagery.

Not long ago, some people dismissed astronomers’ complaints about Starlink satellites spoiling their night skies. Just a few streaks in a telescope, nothing to worry about — or so it seemed.

Now the effect is hitting closer to home: in recent Earth Observation imagery, a Starlink satellite is clearly visible, passing directly through the camera’s field of view. This episode was highlighted by Susanne Hake on LinkedIn.

Google, Maxar, and others are forced to add new filters to catch and remove these “uninvited guests.” And this is only the beginning: while there are already tens of thousands of satellites in orbit today, forecasts suggest there could be over 100,000 by 2030.

Once, the biggest obstacle for satellite imagery was cloud cover. Now it’s the constellations themselves. And it may not be long before map settings include a new toggle: “Show satellites: ON/OFF.”