"SpaceX's classified military satellites are emitting a "mysterious signal" that could be violating international standards, NPR reports. Experts told the public broadcaster that the Elon Musk-led space company could be flouting international standards set by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union. "Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands - or ignore commands - from Earth," Canada-based amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who first spotted the signals, told NPR."
"Tilley accidentally discovered the unusual radio frequencies, which are in the 2025-2110 MHz range and are being emitted by at least 170 of SpaceX's defense satellites. "It was just a clumsy move at the keyboard," he told NPR. "I was resetting some stuff and then all of a sudden I'm looking at the wrong antenna, the wrong band." The spectrum is usually reserved for sending data to orbiting satellites from Earth and shouldn't be used for transmitting data from space."
Unusual radio-frequency signals are emanating from classified SpaceX defense satellites in the 2025–2110 MHz band, with at least 170 satellites observed transmitting in that range. The affected constellation is linked to the Starshield program supporting U.S. national security and a $1.8 billion Department of Defense contract. The 2025–2110 MHz spectrum is normally reserved for transmissions from Earth to orbiting satellites and should not be used for downlink emissions from space. Such emissions could cause radio-frequency interference, potentially preventing nearby satellites from receiving or responding to ground commands. The exact purpose of the transmissions is unclear, and the extent of any interference remains unknown.
Read at Futurism
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