Study Warns Satellites May Contaminate 30% of Hubble Images

A new study led by researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center warns that the rapid expansion of satellite constellations could contaminate up to one in three images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, posing a growing threat to space-based astronomy.

The research, published this week in the journal Nature, simulates the impact of planned satellite launches on four orbiting observatories. It projects that if companies proceed with filings to deploy around 560,000 satellites by the end of the 2030s, light streaks from these spacecraft could appear in 30 to 40 percent of Hubble's exposures. The analysis also examined NASA's SPHEREx mission, launched earlier this year to study the universe's history through infrared observations, where contamination could reach 99 percent of images. China's Xuntian Space Telescope, slated for launch next year and designed for servicing from the Tiangong space station, faces the most severe interference, with simulations showing up to 96 streaks per photo due to its low orbit and wide field of view. The European Space Agency's ARRAKIHS mission, planned for the 2030s to probe dark matter by analyzing galactic remnants, could see 96 percent of its...