SpaceX is building bigger and bigger rockets that Musk hopes could send larger telescopes into space.
SpaceX
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said on Monday to scientists that he would like to work with astronomers to look deeper into space and maybe even get clearer images of exoplanets that could harbor life.
“I am very excited about a future of space-based telescopes that could be very large,” said Musk a Committee of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine through a zoom video conference.
The committee meeting was part of a decade poll in which NASA, other government agencies, and scientists are trying to prioritize astronomical and astrophysical research. Musk was invited to raise concerns about meddling large satellite constellations like Starlink.
The billionaire said that “VisorSat” satellites equipped with sun protection to keep reflections from the sun are a possible solution. The glitter makes the satellites bright enough to be seen from Earth and has affected some astronomical observations over the past year. Musk said the next launch of Starlink satellites should be equipped with the dimmers.
“We will take further steps if necessary,” Musk assured the scientists’ audience, adding that the solution was “fairly simple” and “we will feel a bit silly afterwards.”
Astronomers noticed the satellites immediately after its first start last year. Since then, the constellation has grown to over 400 individual satellites. SpaceX is allowed to launch over 12,000 satellites from the FCC and has submitted documents to international agencies to eventually have a mega constellation of 40,000.
On the call, Musk confirmed that he saw 20,000 to 30,000 satellites as the ideal size to provide the planet with low-latency broadband internet access.
In addition to his pledges to reduce the satellite’s impact on astronomy, Musk mentioned the idea of collaborating on a “planetary imaging observatory” in orbit. Such telescopes orbit a much higher orbit than Starlink satellites in a near-Earth orbit and are not at risk of interference from mega-constellations.
Musk closed the call when he returned to the idea, saying he hoped his next-generation spaceship would do regular flights within a few years.
“This allows more space telescopes to be put into orbit at a fraction of the cost,” he said.
He joked that he was motivated by his desire to find out if our universe was really just a computer simulation.
“If we can at least try to map some planets … they have to improve the rendering.”