SpaceX's new direct-to-cell Starlink satellites are brighter than the originals

I'm curious if SpaceX has applied those mitigation techniques yet. I could maybe understand not doing it for the initial test batch of 6 DTC satellites, but they've been continuing to launch more, and they should be taking at least some action by now, like those "routine mitigation techniques". There's apparently up to >100 DTC sats in orbit now (see [1] and [2]); I can't figure out from the study [3] exactly when the astronomers took their measurements, but it seems like they were able to see most of the DTC sats. It's not great if SpaceX is delaying their mitigations, this isn't exactly a new or unexpected problem.

[1] https://www.satellitetoday.com/connectivity/2024/07/03/space...

[2] https://www.telecoms.com/satellite/starlink-ready-for-t-mobi...

[3] https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.03092

I agree with you, these satellites are providing the funding that is lowering access to space, which is what we need to put observatories in space and on the moon.

Have the companies operating those constellations pay towards orbital observatories and science profits too.

I disagree. Making a satellite for observing space is great and all but you have a massive turnaround and it is super expensive. A ground based observatory can have upgrades, different equipment, lots and lots of modes of operation, and is much more accessible to the public. Sure it would be nice to have satellites with various spectra of analysis and it would be great for that to happen sooner, but the number of ground assets which have been impacted is very high and science gas been set back because of it.

Will this pay off? Eventually very likely it will. Will it be soon? Probably not, and while making space cheaper to access is great it is not a universal good. Remember that if a satellite has a collision we could be in for a cascade of awful and we could lose those satellites we were aiming to benefit from. Maybe if we had some much further away satellites I would agree, but LEO is becoming quite crowded and the benefit is not being shared around, it is enriching and small number of wealthy people.

And by a very strange coincidence, the companies contributing to the pollution of satellites will happily take your money to put your telescope up there too!

Reminds me of the Far Side cartoon, of an ad tied to a brick that came through a window. "Brick thrown through your window? Call Al's Glass!" - https://reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fbvdu9...

It doesn't matter since other countries / blocs going to put up their mega constellations. Orbital obersvatories going to be necessity, probably brought up by SpaceX/equivalents. Make your own customers.