SKAO renews commitment to Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky for five years
The International Astronomical Union (IAU), along with founding partners the SKA Observatory and NOIRLab, which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, have agreed upon a renewed memorandum of understanding for the Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky (CPS).
The SKAO and NOIRLab will continue to co-host the centre, which will continue to operate until 2030. The SKAO’s Spectrum Manager Federico Di Vruno has been renewed as associate director alongside his colleague from NOIRLab Connie Walker, with Piero Benvenuti continuing to serve as director.
"The IAU CPS, the NSF, and the SKAO, with the support of other major astronomy organisations, have been highly effective at putting the issue of satellite constellations and astronomy on the international agenda, with many countries supportive of our efforts to protect access to dark and quiet skies for science and society," said Prof. Willy Benz, President of the IAU. “This next phase will see the work expand, as we seek to develop mitigations and regulation to safeguard astronomy’s societal impact in the 21st century.”
The Centre’s outputs will include developing tools to help observatories minimise satellite encounters, fostering closer links with industry, supporting hardware mitigation development, collaborating with space agencies to facilitate access to up-to-date orbital parameters, supporting the development of relevant regulation through international bodies, and establishing satellite observation standards.
The SKAO has co-hosted the centre of expertise since its inception in 2021. The goal was to coordinate efforts and unify voices that would mitigate the impact of large satellite constellations on optical and radio astronomy, and on the pristine appearance of the night sky.
The CPS and its partner organisations played a crucial role in enabling the topic of dark and quiet skies to be added to the agenda of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS), where the SKAO sits as an observer and regularly raises the issue. It has also become an agenda item for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) where the SKAO also participates.
