Nature Podcast: Satellite Constellations Threaten Space-Based Astronomy and Video-Call Glitches

In this Nature podcast episode, researchers explore how satellite constellations in low Earth orbit could threaten space-based astronomy. Alejandro Borlaf of NASA's Ames Research Center discusses a Nature paper simulating hundreds of thousands of satellites and the likely photobombing of space telescope images, with up to nearly every image affected for some instruments. The program also covers mitigation ideas, from open satellite-tracking data to orbit caps that keep telescopes clear of crowded zones. In a second story, the episode investigates how glitches on video calls can alter how we judge others, affecting hiring decisions and parole outcomes, revealing the subtle but real consequences of imperfect tech for human judgment.

Current data show there are about 15,000 active satellites in orbit, up from around 4,000 four years ago, and projections imagine up to a half a million, or even a million, satellites in the coming 15 years. The Nature paper models the impact on four space-based telescopes, including Hubble, SPHERE-X, Arrakis, and Shuntian. The results are stark: on average just over 2 satellites observed in each Hubble image, about 6 for Spherex, 69 for Arrakis, and 92 for Shuntian. Some trails resemble scratched vinyl records, threatening to erase faint astronomical signals.

"I think I was very worried. It is hard to detach this from a personal perspective." - Alejandro Borlaf, NASA's Ames Research Center