A measurement-based approach to EPFD calculation, to quantify the impact of satellite mega-constellations on low-frequency radio astronomy
Abstract
Context: Satellite mega-constellations generate Unintended Electro-Magnetic Radiation (UEMR) impacting low frequency radio astronomy. The Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) contain the basis for addressing UEMR, but enforcement mechanisms are absent. Aims: To adapt compatibility study methods based on satellite constellation simulations, in particular the Equivalent Power Flux-Density (EPFD) framework, to radio telescope measurements. Methods: We adapt the ITU-R EPFD calculation framework to measurement data obtained from all-sky interferometric imaging. We address the conceptual differences between forward-model EPFD calculations and measurement-based approaches. In particular, we consider low frequency systems, which are typically wide field-of-view and interferometric instruments. Results: For the first time, we demonstrate that all-sky interferometric observations enable a direct adaptation of the EPFD formalism to measurement data. We thus confirm previous estimations (Di Vruno et al. 2023) that the resulting measurement-based EPFD distributions exceed the radio astronomy interference threshold levels defined in Recommendation ITU-R RA.769-2 in 50-70% of samples. These exceedance fractions are well above the 2% single-system data-loss criterion in Recommendation ITU-R RA.1513-2. Expressed using the conventional 2% compatibility margin, the corresponding margins are negative, ranging from -18.6 to -16.3 dB, equivalent to a required uniform attenuation of 16.3-18.6 dB. Conclusions: Measurement-based implementations provide a practical pathway toward verification and long-term monitoring at low radio frequencies, which could form an important component of enforceability. We suggest instrumentation approaches to support measurement.
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BibTeX
@misc{tingay2026measurementbased,
title = {{A measurement-based approach to EPFD calculation, to quantify the impact of satellite mega-constellations on low-frequency radio astronomy}},
author = {Steven J. Tingay and Gregory Hellbourg and Daniel Sheen and Dylan Grigg and Benjamin Winkel and Federico Di Vruno and Balthasar Indermuehle},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.01995},
eprint = {2609.01995},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.01995},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A measurement-based approach to EPFD calculation, to quantify the impact of satellite mega-constellations on low-frequency radio astronomy
AU - Steven J. Tingay
AU - Gregory Hellbourg
AU - Daniel Sheen
AU - Dylan Grigg
AU - Benjamin Winkel
AU - Federico Di Vruno
AU - Balthasar Indermuehle
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.01995
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.01995
AB - Context: Satellite mega-constellations generate Unintended Electro-Magnetic Radiation (UEMR) impacting low frequency radio astronomy. The Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) contain the basis for addressing UEMR, but enforcement mechanisms are absent. Aims: To adapt compatibility study methods based on satellite constellation simulations, in particular the Equivalent Power Flux-Density (EPFD) framework, to radio telescope measurements. Methods: We adapt the ITU-R EPFD calculation framework to measurement data obtained from all-sky interferometric imaging. We address the conceptual differences between forward-model EPFD calculations and measurement-based approaches. In particular, we consider low frequency systems, which are typically wide field-of-view and interferometric instruments. Results: For the first time, we demonstrate that all-sky interferometric observations enable a direct adaptation of the EPFD formalism to measurement data. We thus confirm previous estimations (Di Vruno et al. 2023) that the resulting measurement-based EPFD distributions exceed the radio astronomy interference threshold levels defined in Recommendation ITU-R RA.769-2 in 50-70% of samples. These exceedance fractions are well above the 2% single-system data-loss criterion in Recommendation ITU-R RA.1513-2. Expressed using the conventional 2% compatibility margin, the corresponding margins are negative, ranging from -18.6 to -16.3 dB, equivalent to a required uniform attenuation of 16.3-18.6 dB. Conclusions: Measurement-based implementations provide a practical pathway toward verification and long-term monitoring at low radio frequencies, which could form an important component of enforceability. We suggest instrumentation approaches to support measurement.
ER -