Astronomers worry Musk's Starlink could disrupt South Africa's mega-telescope observations
Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are urging the government to ensure that any licensing deal with Elon Musk's Starlink includes protections for their sensitive astronomical research.
Astronomers in South Africa emphasize the need for protective measures in agreements involving SpaceX's Starlink to safeguard sensitive astronomical research.
A licensing deal with Starlink has attracted controversy, with its parent company advocating alternative compliance mechanisms to local ownership laws.
Concerns exist that Starlink's low-orbit satellites might interfere with operations of South Africa's SKA-Mid radio telescope.
Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are urging the government to ensure that any licensing deal with Elon Musk's Starlink includes protections for their sensitive astronomical research, according to a senior scientist.
Talks around Starlink's entry into South Africa have already sparked controversy. Parent company SpaceX has pushed back against local ownership laws, instead proposing equity equivalent initiatives as an alternative path to compliance.
Adding astronomy-related licensing conditions could further complicate efforts to bring Starlink to South Africa, where Musk already expressed concerns over the government's Black empowerment policies, Reuters reported.
While South African authorities have said they're open to reviewing rules in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, they remain firm on policies aimed at transforming the economy nearly 30 years after the end of white-minority rule.
Interference with the SKA telescope
Scientists worry that Starlink's low-orbit satellites could interfere with observations by South Africa's Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Mid), one of the world's most advanced radio telescopes, co-hosted with a similar array in Australia.
Di Vruno, spectrum manager at the SKA Observatory, said both his organization and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) are pushing for license conditions that would limit interference with critical observation frequencies used by the SKA-Mid telescope.
These conditions could require Starlink to either steer its satellite beams away from SKA receivers or pause transmissions for brief periods to minimize disruption, he explained.
The SKA's current array of antennas in Carnarvon, a remote town in South Africa's Northern Cape, operates within the 350 megahertz to 15.4 gigahertz frequency range, bandwidth also commonly used by satellite operators for downlinks.
South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to the SKA-Mid and soon to be integrated into the larger Square Kilometre Array (SKA), has already delivered remarkable discoveries.
Among them is a rare giant radio galaxy that spans 32 times the size of the Milky Way. In another instance, it identified 49 new galaxies in under three hours, according to the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Late-night rocket launch in Florida: When to see from Vero Beach to Port St. Lucie to Fort Pierce
A late-night rocket launch from Florida is on the horizon. SpaceX is set to launch a batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on June 22 from Cape Canaveral. Rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach. When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Below is more information about the SpaceX rocket launch in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from here. Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@ or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@ For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit Tom Cruise and untitled SpaceX project: 'Mission: Impossible' star who lives in Florida may shoot a film in outer space Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows. Launch window: 1:47 a.m. to 6:17 a.m. ET Sunday, June 22, 2025 Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida Sonic booms: No Trajectory: Northeast Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser. Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. Sebastian Inlet State Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (cost to enter) Wabasso Beach Park, 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida Ambersands Beach Park, 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) South Beach Park, 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, 905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blue Heron Beach, 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Dollman Park Beachside, 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida Herman's Bay Beach, 7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida John Brooks Park Beachside, 3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Middle Cove Beach, 4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida Pepper Park Beachside, 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida Walton Rocks Beach, 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida (dog park) Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida State Road A1A causeway in Stuart, Florida House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX nighttime rocket launch in Florida: What time is liftoff?
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Does BYD or Tesla stock offer the best value?
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and BYD (OTC:BYDD.F) are the two titans of the global electric vehicle (EV) market, but their investment cases diverge sharply when you dig into the numbers and outlook. Here's how they stack up for investors looking ahead. Tesla's forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios remain stratospheric by any standard. The company is expected to trade at 168.8 times earnings in 2025, falling to 111.4 times in 2026 and 85.7 times in 2027. Even by its own five-year history, these multiples are elevated, and they are more than 10 times the consumer discretionary sector median. BYD, by contrast, looks far more modest. Its forward P/E is 18.4 times for 2025 and 14.2 times for 2026. That's just a fraction of Tesla's and much closer to sector norms. This huge valuation gap reflects the market's belief in Tesla's future growth, but also means any disappointment could hit the shares hard. Tesla's price-to-sales ratio for 2025 is a lofty 10.4 times, while BYD's is just 0.65 times. In other words, investors are paying a huge premium for each dollar of Tesla's sales, while BYD trades closer to traditional automaker multiples. BYD's lower multiple reflects its mass-market positioning and focus on affordability, while Tesla's premium signals expectations for high-margin growth and disruptive new business lines. Tesla boasts a market cap over $1trn, with $37bn in cash and $13bn in debt. This gives it a strong net cash position and plenty of firepower for R&D and expansion. BYD, with a market cap around $147bn, holds $21bn in cash and $5.7bn in debt. Still solid, but on a smaller scale. Tesla's financial muscle gives it flexibility, but BYD's balance sheet is also robust and supports its rapid global expansion. The real battleground is not just EVs, but autonomous driving and robotics. Tesla's valuation is highly detached from automotive peers because investors are betting it will dominate self-driving technology and unlock new business models like robotaxis and AI-powered logistics. Its Dojo supercomputer and Full Self-Driving (FSD) efforts are central to this thesis, though regulatory hurdles remain. BYD is not standing still. Its latest models integrate advanced driver-assist systems, LiDAR, and rapid-charging battery tech. This has already made headlines. However, its approach is more incremental, focusing on affordability, scale, and steady technological improvements. Coupled with the fact that it's Chinese, it hasn't been afforded the same attention by investors. BYD trades at far lower valuation multiples and has recently overtaken Tesla in global EV sales, especially in China and Europe. Meanwhile, Tesla commands a huge premium based on its potential to lead in autonomy and AI-driven transport. However, the execution risk is huge. For value-focused investors, BYD is the obvious choice, but clearly the market favours Tesla and Elon Musk's ambitions. The post Does BYD or Tesla stock offer the best value? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool James Fox has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Tesla. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025
an hour ago
As Musk's 'robotaxi' rollout approaches, Democratic lawmakers in Texas try to throw up a roadblock
NEW YORK -- A group of Democratic lawmakers in Texas is asking Elon Musk to delay the planned rollout of driverless 'robotaxis' in the state this weekend to assure that the vehicles are safe. In a letter, seven state legislators asked Tesla to wait until September when a new law takes effect that will require several checks before autonomous vehicles can be deployed without a human in the driver's seat. Tesla is slated to begin testing a dozen of what it calls robotaxis for paying customers on Sunday in a limited area of Austin, Texas. 'We are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September 1, 2025,' the letter from Wednesday, June 18, reads. 'We believe this is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations.' It's not clear if the letter will have much impact. Republicans have been a dominant majority in the Texas Legislature for more than 20 years. State lawmakers and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott have generally embraced Musk and the jobs and investment he has brought to Texas, from his SpaceX rocket program on the coast, to his Tesla factory in Austin. The company, which is headquartered in Austin, did not responded immediately to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The law will require companies to secure approval from the state motor vehicles department to operate autonomous cars with passengers. That approval, in turn, would depend on sufficient proof that the cars won't pose a high risk to others if the self-driving system breaks down, among other reassurances. Companies would also have to file detailed plans for how first responders should handle the cars if there is a problem, such as an accident. The letter asked Tesla to assure the legislators it has met all the requirements of the law even if it decides to go ahead with the test run this weekend. The letter was earlier reported by Reuters. Musk has made the robotaxi program a priority at Tesla and a failure would likely be highly damaging to the company's stock, which has already tumbled 20% this year. Musk's political views and his affiliation with the Trump administration have drastically reduced sales of Tesla, particularly in Europe, where Musk's endorsement of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party in February's election drew broad condemnation. Tesla shares bottomed out in March and have rebounded somewhat in recent months. Much of the rise reflects optimism that robotaxis will not only be deployed without a hitch, but that the service will quickly expand to other cities and eventually dominate the self-driving cab business. Rival Waymo is already picking up passengers in Austin and several other cities, and recently boasted of surpassing 10 million paid rides. In afternoon trading Friday, Tesla shares were largely unchanged at $320.
