Vera C. Rubin Observatory – Impact of Satellite Constellations
Executive Summary
•Simulations of the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) observing cadence and the full 42,000 SpaceX satellite constellation show that as many as 30% of all LSST images would contain at least one satellite trail.
•Nearly every LSST image taken during twilight would be affected by at least one satellite trail.
•Measurements of the brightness of the current LEO satellites indicate that trails would cause residual artifacts in the reduced data, if no mitigations are made.
•SpaceX is on track to darken their Starlink satellites to 7th mag, which would enable removal of artifacts in LSST images.
•The bright main satellite trail would still be present, potentially creating systematics at low surface brightness.
This is a challenge for science data analysis, adding significant effort.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory science community is concerned about the increasing deployment of communications satellite constellations which, if unchecked, could jeopardize the discoveries anticipated from Rubin Observatory when science operations begin in 2022. Because Rubin Observatory is uniquely impacted by these satellite constellations, its science team is taking an active role in pursuing mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of the satellites on Rubin Observatory science.
(snip)
Where id the ‘havoc’?