---
title: "SpaceX’s Satellite Constellation Could Hide Killer Asteroids"
description: "Detecting killer asteroids could become more difficult for astronomers as SpaceX adds more satellites to its Starlink constellation."
date: "2019-12-04"
modified: "2019-12-04"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin.md"
url: "https://futurism.com/spacex-starlink-hide-killer-asteroids"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "asteroids"
  - "elon musk"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "starlink"
---

# SpaceX’s Satellite Constellation Could Hide Killer Asteroids

![Detecting killer asteroids could become more difficult for astronomers as SpaceX adds more satellites to its Starlink constellation.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/spacex-starlink-hide-killer-asteroids.png>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

SpaceX's Starlink satellites could cost us more than a clear view of the stars.

Astronomers have [told *Axios*](<https://www.axios.com/asteroid-hunting-mega-constellations-satellites-1d0bfe7b-7e2a-43d9-910e-4b0feba34115.html>) they fear the mega-constellation of tiny satellites could make it harder to spot asteroids near Earth — and that could mean they might not see one on a collision course with our planet in time to stop it.

Eventually, SpaceX hopes to have thousands of [Starlink satellites](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-spacex-launch-60-starlink-satellites.md>) in Earth's orbit as part of its plan to provide the world with internet access. So far, though, the constellation consists of just 120 satellites — but even that relatively low number has been enough to impede astronomers' view of the night sky.

"Wow!! I am in shock!!" astronomer Clarae Martínez-Vázquez [tweeted in November](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronomers-spacex-satellites-blocking-view.md>). "The huge amount of Starlink satellites crossed our skies tonight at @cerrotololo. Our \[Dark Energy Camera\] exposure was heavily affected by 19 of them!"

While most asteroids are harmless, even SpaceX's own CEO Elon Musk [has predicted](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-asteroid-hit-earth.md>) that "a big rock will hit Earth eventually."

Even a [relatively small space rock](<https://futurism.com/chelyabinsk-meteor-still-making-waves-scientific-community.md>) can cause tremendous damage if it makes impact with the Earth — and spotting them is [already difficult](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/city-killer-asteroid-earth-undetected.md>). As Starlink grows, the light from the satellites could make detecting asteroids even harder, experts told *Axios*.

Now that it appears too late to stop SpaceX from moving forward with Starlink, astronomers may be left with no choice but to develop new — and potentially costly — detection methods. Those might include space-based asteroid-detecting telescopes, they told *Axios*, or software that can account for SpaceX's satellites in images produced by ground-based telescopes.

"The astronomy community dropped the ball," astronomer Jonathan McDowell told *Axios*. "We should have been on this 10 years ago and we didn't see it coming."

**READ MORE:** [Thousands of new satellites could make asteroid hunting harder](<https://www.axios.com/asteroid-hunting-mega-constellations-satellites-1d0bfe7b-7e2a-43d9-910e-4b0feba34115.html>) \[*Axios*\]

**More on Starlink:** *[Scientists: SpaceX Satellites Threaten "Astronomy Itself"](<https://futurism.com/scientists-spacex-satellites-threaten-astronomy-itself.md>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)

## More

- [SpaceX Satellites Disrupting Ability to Spot Killer Asteroids, Scientists Say](<https://futurism.com/spacex-satellites-asteroids-scientists.md>)
- [Planetary Defense Experts Complain That SpaceX-Style Satellites Make It Harder to Spot Killer Asteroids](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-satellites-killer-asteroids-survey.md>)
- [NASA Warns That SpaceX Satellite Swarm Could Kill Astronauts](<https://futurism.com/nasa-starlink-kill-astronauts.md>)
- [People Keep Mistaking SpaceX’s Satellites for Alien Spacecraft](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starlink-satellites-ufos.md>)
- [The US Military Wants Access to SpaceX’s Satellite Constellation](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-military-access-spacex-satellite-constellation.md>)
- [Brand New SpaceX Satellite Falls to Its Death](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/brand-new-spacex-satellite-fails.md>)
- [There’s a Giant Problem With SpaceX’s Starlink Satellites](<https://futurism.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-radio-signal-emissions.md>)
- [SpaceX’s “Darkened” Satellites Still Messing Up Research, Astronomers Say](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-darkened-satellites-research.md>)