Researchers have discovered an innovative way to use Starlink satellites to observe environmental changes on our planet.
Communications satellites like Starlink aren’t just for broadband internet.
A team of researchers from the Institute of Geodesy at TU Graz has discovered an innovative way to use these satellites to monitor environmental changes on our planet.
By analyzing the signals emitted by these spacecraft, they are able to extract valuable data on Earth’s gravity and climate variations.
A team of researchers hacks Elon Musk’s satellites for a good cause!
Harnessing satellite signals for science
Traditionally, communications satellites like those from Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are designed to provide internet connectivity.
However, Austrian researchers have identified a side effect of the transmissions from these satellites: the slight modification of the frequency of their signals due to the Doppler effect.
By observing these frequency variations, the scientific team is able to assess subtle changes in the satellites’ orbits, which are influenced by gravitational changes in the Earth.
This approach opens up new perspectives for monitoring sea level fluctuations, variations in groundwater reserves and even weather phenomena in real time.
A technological challenge met
One of the main obstacles to this method is the lack of transparency of the companies operating these satellites.
SpaceX, OneWeb, and Amazon do not publish technical details of their signals, complicating researchers’ analysis. Furthermore, precise data on the orbits of these satellites is limited, increasing the risk of calculation errors.
Despite these difficulties, the TU Graz team managed to identify consistent tones in the transmissions from the Starlink satellites.
By tracking these signals, they can estimate the satellites’ positions with an error margin of about 54 meters. While this accuracy is not yet sufficient for advanced geodetic applications, it proves the method’s viability.
Towards precise monitoring of climate change
The researchers aim to improve their technique by developing mobile antennas capable of tracking satellites in real time. The goal is to reduce positioning errors to just a few meters, which would allow for much more accurate data.
If this approach continues to progress, it could provide real-time information on phenomena such as:
- Storms and heavy rainfall
- The evolution of ocean levels
- Depletion of groundwater reserves
- Melting ice caps
A revolution for environmental research
The use of communications satellites for scientific observations could transform current methods of monitoring the Earth.
Until now, these studies relied on satellites specifically designed for geodetic research, whose number and frequency of missions were limited. By exploiting the thousands of satellites already in orbit, scientists could access a continuous stream of data, thus improving the accuracy and frequency of observations.
Philipp Berglez, lead researcher at TU Graz, emphasizes that this technique is not intended to intercept the content of communications, but only to analyze variations in the satellites’ movements.
This purely scientific approach could ultimately become an essential tool for better understanding the evolution of our planet and anticipating climate change.
Thus, thanks to an unexpected use of Starlink satellites, Earth monitoring could enter a new era, where communication technologies and environmental science advance hand in hand.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/starlink-satellites-got-hijacked-for-science-and-the-results-are-unbelievable/
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