Dutch meteorologists claim that the Starlink network is interfering with weather forecasting
Meteorologists are very concerned about the pace at which Elon Musk is expanding his Starlink satellite network. The network, with new users, disrupts satellite measurements every day, which are indispensable for accurate weather forecasting.
Starlink consists of more than 4,000 satellites that provide fast wireless Internet connectivity anywhere on Earth. Satellites hover at an altitude of 500 to 1,500 kilometers above the planet. However, the increase in Starlink users causes more disruptions to weather satellites, explained Ed Stoffelen, a representative of the Dutch Meteorological Institute KNMI. The NL Times writes about it.
Weather satellites measure natural radiation from water vapor, and this looks almost exactly like the radio signal between a Starlink satellite and a Starlink antenna on the ground. And that can’t be easily changed, Stoffelen added.
We may have to exclude locations with a Starlink antenna from our measurements. But the more areas Starlink antennas exclude, the less accurate the weather forecast becomes
representative of the Dutch Meteorological Institute KNMI Ed Stoffelen
