Astronomers are concerned that the prototype satellite is paving the way for a constellation of 100 spacecraft that could be even brighter.
On 11 September, the AST SpaceMobile company launched BlueWalker 3, a prototype for a fleet of 100 satellites in low-Earth orbit that the company hopes will supply 5G coverage to ordinary mobile phones in far flung locations around the world.
This increase was the result of spacecraft unfurling its flat panel antennas into an array the size of squash court . That makes BlueWalker 3 one of the largest objects ever placed in low Earth orbit. Sunlight reflected from this array also makes it one of the brightest. Mallama asked astronomers around the world to measure the brightness of BlueWalker 3 at the onset or end of astronomical twilight, when many satellites are bathed in sunlight while still superimposed on the night sky. The results suggest the spacecraft’s brightness is magnitude 1.5, about the same as stars such as Castor in the constellation of Gemini or Bellatrix in Orion.However, the spacecraft can become brighter than this, reaching magnitude 0 at times.
Such a constellation could create a significant display in the night sky and will add to the controversy generated by other communications constellations and how they can interfere with astronomical observations.
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