Lawmakers look to limit impacts from satellites in the sky

COLORADO (KRDO) - U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Mike Crapo have reintroduced a bill to limit the number of satellites you can see in the sky.

“There’s bipartisan agreement that we need a strong space economy and cutting-edge scientific research to unlock the mysteries of our universe,” said Hickenlooper. “The Dark and Quiet Skies Act helps us do both. This is a no-brainer solution, and we’re pushing to get it done.”

According to Senator Hickenlooper, the number of satellites in orbit has grown from roughly 2,200 to more than 9,000 in the last five years, and current estimates suggest that number could exceed 500,000 by 2030.

This week, KRDO13 was flooded with messages and emails about a line of lights in the sky, which appeared to be visible satellites.

You can read the full bill text here.

In the past, SpaceX has said it worked with the U.S. National Science Foundation and its radio astronomy observatories to mitigate potential interference from SpaceX satellite transmissions. You can read the full U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) statement here.

A Colorado Springs local, Bryan Gibson, designed his own observatory, Gibson Observatory. He uses it to capture breathtaking views of space. 

"I used to describe it as it's a challenge, but it's a worthy challenge, capturing a magnificence that is. Well, it's I will use words like unparalleled, but it certainly doesn't do justice to it," explained Bryan Gibson.

He taught astronomy for years and knows how satellites can impact professional research.

"For professionals, those that do, like molecular studies and outer space, and radio, some of those bands are very close and there's going to be crossover. So that's a serious thing. Low Earth orbit ones could possibly cause an end to radio astronomy. So a lot of our discoveries from black holes and things like that, we're going to be limited, so that's possible," detailed Gibson.

When it comes to the stellar images he captures, Gibson found ways to remove the satellites. 

"It doesn't bother me because I do narrowband imaging. And if I look close enough on my phone, I say, Oh my gosh, look at there's 40 satellites right in that line area, but I don't see them," shared Gibson.

He says we should be conscious about all light since most cities can't see the Milky Way. Part of this bill would be researching ways to make the satellites less reflective and ease up on radio interference.

Gibson is with the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society, which holds public meetings for those looking to enjoy the sky together.

Some search and rescue teams say the addition of the Starlink satellite connection has been a beneficial tool for rescue missions. Chaffee County Search and Rescue North (CCSAR-N) tells KRDO13 they incorporated Starlink into their incident command system earlier this year.

"When we are out in the field, especially in some of the wilderness areas around this area, where you don't have any cell phone signal, you definitely don't have any internet. We still need to be able to communicate. The best we can do really is with radios, and we'll set up relay stations for that. But sometimes, to try and send information, especially maps, you need that digital component. So we'll use our Starlink to send out map locations that can then be relayed up to teams. Having that visual component, that data component, is sometimes invaluable to what we do out in the backcountry," explained Nicole "Kiki" Lathrop.

Lathrop says the search and rescue team has used Starlink for multiple rescue missions. She explained how it's a tool to communicate with rescue teams across a mountain.

"We can then provide information like last known coordinates, if there's any update in whether or not the subject is able to move, if they're going to have new coordinates that we're going to have to hike to. And being able to communicate those to the teams on the ground as quickly and efficiently as we can is the ultimate goal," shared Lathrop.

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