English

Characterization of Starlink Direct-to-Cell Satellites In Brightness Mitigation Mode

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2025-02-07 v1

Abstract

The mean apparent magnitude of Starlink Mini Direct-To-Cell (DTC) satellites observed in brightness mitigation mode is 5.16, while the mean of magnitudes adjusted to a uniform distance of 1,000 km is 6.47. The DTCs have faded since early in 2024 because SpaceX subsequently adjusted the spacecraft attitudes to dim them. A physical model for satellite brightness that fits the observations is described.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2502.03651,
  title  = {Characterization of Starlink Direct-to-Cell Satellites In Brightness Mitigation Mode},
  author = {Anthony Mallama and Richard E. Cole and Jay Respler and Scott Harrington},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.03651},
  year   = {2025}
}