Starlink’s plans to expand internet service in South Africa face pushback from astronomers who want licensing agreements to protect sensitive observations made by the country’s Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, a senior scientist said.
The world’s most powerful radio telescope, SKA-Mid, located in the remote Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, operates across a bandwidth that overlaps with frequencies used by many satellite operators, including Starlink’s low-orbiting satellites. Scientists fear that Starlink’s transmissions could interfere with their space observations, comparing the effect to shining a spotlight into someone’s eyes and blinding them to faint celestial signals.
Federico Di Vruno, co-chair of the International Astronomical Union Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky and spectrum manager at the SKA Observatory, said the SKA Observatory and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) are lobbying for licensing conditions that would require Starlink to steer satellite beams away from SKA receivers or temporarily stop transmissions to minimize interference. Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, has already criticized South Africa’s local shareholding laws while supporting equity equivalent programs, complicating efforts to introduce the service in the country, which is also Elon Musk’s birthplace.
South Africa plans to review its Information and Communication Technology sector rules but remains committed to government policies aimed at transforming the economy three decades after the end of white-minority rule. This has further deterred Musk, who has voiced concerns over the country’s Black empowerment policies.
The SKA telescope, co-hosted with Australia, builds on discoveries made by South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope, which has identified rare giant radio galaxies and numerous new galaxies in record time. The SKA Observatory is also working to secure licensing conditions for other satellite operators, including Amazon and Eutelsat’s OneWeb, to preserve quiet skies amid a surge in new satellite launches.
Neither South Africa’s Independent Communications Authority nor Starlink responded immediately to requests for comment on the scientists’ concerns. Scientists involved said they are pursuing multiple technical and regulatory paths to address the issue on a global level.
