SpaceX, NSF Reach Coordination Agreement for Second-Gen Starlinks

SpaceX and the National Science Foundation inked a coordination agreement to protect optical and infrared astronomical observations from interference due to Starlink satellites, NSF said last week. It follows a 2019 coordination agreement on radio astronomy, it said. NSF said the latest agreement -- which fulfills conditions of the company's second-generation constellation license authorized by the FCC (see 2212010052) -- means SpaceX agreed to continue working on ways to reduce optical brightness of Starlinks via their physical design and attitude maneuvering and to provide orbital information publicly that astronomers can use for scheduling. It said mitigations SpaceX developed for its second-gen satellites include dielectric mirror film and new black paint. NSF said adaptive laser optics at ground-based astronomies no longer have to close when SpaceX satellites are nearby, and said the company committed to dynamic coordination with radio astronomy facilities operating in frequencies outside the 10.6-10.7 GHz band, which already has protection. NSF said SpaceX and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory did field tests -- and have more planned in 2023 -- to verify radio astronomy observations aren't affected. NRAO raised concerns earlier this month about SpaceX's planned direct-to-handset service with T-Mobile (see 2301090060).