Elon Musk’s Starlink Faces Astronomical Backlash In South Africa

Elon Musk’s plan to expand Starlink in South Africa is meeting unexpected resistance—not just from the government, but now from astronomers concerned about the future of the world’s most ambitious radio telescope: the Square Kilometer Array (SKA).

Musk recently accused South Africa’s government of blocking Starlink’s entry due to racial equity laws, claiming they require foreign companies to sell 30% of their local operations to “historically disadvantaged” groups. While Musk seeks exemption for his company SpaceX, officials have made it clear: no exceptions will be made.

Now, scientists are raising the alarm. The SKA project—a massive radio telescope split between South Africa and Australia—will span thousands of antennas and offer sensitivity akin to a telescope with a surface area of one square kilometer. But astronomers worry that Starlink’s satellite signals will interfere with SKA’s ultra-sensitive frequency range: 350 MHz to 15.4 GHz.

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“It’s like shining a flashlight into someone’s eyes,” said Federico Di Vruno of the International Astronomical Union’s Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky.

Researchers want the South African government to impose strict licensing conditions for Starlink to avoid interference, suggesting satellites should redirect their beams or pause transmissions when passing over SKA antennas.

Di Vruno added that similar guarantees will be demanded from other satellite internet networks, including those from Amazon and OneWeb.

Starlink is already under scrutiny from optical astronomers too. Its satellites often appear as bright streaks in telescope images, disrupting cosmic observations.

As Starlink pushes for global domination, scientists insist: space needs rules, especially when it risks compromising humanity’s view of the universe.

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