Related papers: BRDF-Based Photometric Modeling of LEO Constellati…
The apparent brightness of satellites is calculated as a function of satellite position as seen by a ground-based observer in darkness. Both direct illumination of the satellite by the Sun as well as indirect illumination due to reflection…
We present novel techniques and methodology for unresolved photometric characterization of low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. With the Pomenis LEO Satellite Photometric Survey our team has made over 14,000 observations of Starlink and OneWeb…
Context. To better understand the observed brightness of low Earth orbit satellites, we must characterize their reflectivity, which in turn depends importantly on their bus designs. The reflectivity of a body can be described by Lambert's…
We report a simulation and quantification of the impact of the Starlink constellation on LSST in terms of the trail surface brightness using a BRDF-based satellite photometric model. A total of 11,908 satellites from the Gen1 and Gen2A…
The Steward Observatory LEO Satellite Photometric Survey is a comprehensive observational survey to characterize the apparent brightness of the Starlink and OneWeb low Earth orbit satellites and evaluate the potential impact on astronomy.…
The new Starlink V2 satellites incorporate improvements to the chassis brightness through dielectric mirrors, off-pointing solar arrays, and black paint on exposed components. For the general case in which the reflectivities are initially…
As emerging massive constellations are intended to provide seamless connectivity for remote areas using hundreds of small low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, new methodologies have great importance to study the performance of these networks.…
In August 2025 a workshop was convened to bring together experts to better understand steps that can be taken to mitigate the impact of satellite constellations on astronomical observations. At the time, just over 12,000 operational…
The development of low earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellation fundamentally threatens ground-based optical astronomical observations. To study the photometric properties of the LEO mega-constellations, we used the Xinglong 50 cm telescope to…
A BRDF for the VisorSat model of Starlink satellites is described. The parameter coefficients were determined by least squares fitting to more than 10,000 magnitudes recorded by the MMT-9 robotic observatory. The BRDF is defined in a…
We investigate the luminosity functions (LFs) and projected number density profiles of galactic satellites around isolated primaries of different luminosities. We measure these quantities for model satellites placed into the Millennium and…
Measuring photometric brightness is a common tool for characterizaing satellites. However, characterizing satellite mega-constellations and their impact on astronomy research requires a new approach and methodology. A few measurements of…
There is a growing concern about an impact of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations on ground-based astronomical observations, in particular, on wide-field surveys in the optical and infrared. The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF),…
This work presents a high-resolution, ray-tracing-based channel modeling for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-to-ground links in a suburban environment at X-band. Using simulations conducted in Wireless InSite, we develop a parametric…
Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations are becoming a cornerstone of next-generation satellite networks, enabling worldwide high-precision navigation and high-quality remote sensing. This paper proposes a novel dual-function LEO…
We consider a constellation of low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites connected to a handheld device on the ground. Due to the very large orbital speed, an effective handover strategy becomes of paramount importance. In particular, we study the…
A model that combines celestial geometry and atmospheric physics is used to calculate the dimming of artificial satellites as they enter and exit the Earth's shadow. Refraction of sunlight by the terrestrial atmosphere can illuminate a…
This study evaluates the effect of proposed constellations -- ranging from current deployments to mega-constellations and very bright reflector concepts -- on direct trail losses, diffuse background, and scattered sky brightness. We use a…
As low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems are gaining increasing popularity, new theoretical methodologies are required to investigate such networks' performance at large. This is because deterministic and location-based…
A general satellite channel model is proposed for communications between a rapidly moving low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite in a mega-constellation and a stationary user on Earth. The channel uses a non-homogeneous binomial point process…