It could just be that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network will eventually pose a problem for satellite weather forecasts.
Weather satellites contain sensitive measuring equipment that can be disrupted when there are too many satellites in the area. Meteorologists have expressed concern. “It is already the case that weather satellites are less able to measure at locations where people use a dish. And there are more and more,” says satellite researcher at KNMI Ad Stoffelen to NU.nl.
According to the scientist, the SpaceX satellites make it appear as if there is a lot of water vapor in the air. The satellites also cause a disturbance that can be seen on the weather maps as a bright dot. And weather satellites measure the natural radiation of water vapor in order to make predictions. The problem is that that radiation is too similar to the radio signal from a Starlink dish.
Starlink sabotages measurements
In addition, the crucial areas for measurements from weather satellites coincide with those where many Starlink satellites are active. After all, it concerns the air above the great oceans and the North Pole. And it is precisely in those remote areas that Starlink is a popular alternative to traditional internet. Think of ships and drilling platforms that (out of necessity) use satellite technology.
Meteorologists fear that they will have to exclude locations with Starlink activity from their measurements. The problem can only get worse, as there are other companies besides SpaceX that want to build a satellite network.
Elon Musk’s Starlink has not yet responded to the issue. The network now has more than 4,000 satellites, at an altitude of 500 to 1,500 km.
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