Crapo, Hickenlooper Reintroduce Legislation to Preserve Night Sky from Interference, Aid Research

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) reintroduced the bipartisan Dark and Quiet Skies Act to preserve the night sky from unintentional light and radio interference.

“The vastness of Idaho’s wilderness allows for truly magnificent wonders in the night sky,” said Crapo. “The advancement of space technology has made these majestic spaces fewer, and collaborative approaches to mitigate interference is vitally needed.”

“There’s bipartisan agreement that we need a strong space economy and cutting-edge scientific research to unlock the mysteries of our universe,” said Hickenlooper. “The Dark and Quiet Skies Act helps us do both. This is a no-brainer solution, and we’re pushing to get it done.”

Scientific and amateur space observations can be disrupted by the light and radio transmission of passing satellites. Satellites have increased from 2,200 in orbit in 2019 to over 11,000 as of 2024. Current estimates predict there will be over 60,000 by 2030.

The Dark and Quiet Skies Act would create a Center of Excellence overseen by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices to reduce light and noise interference. The Center would stimulate voluntary participation and collaboration among the astronomical community, industry and federal agencies to research, develop and deploy light interference mitigation techniques.

Bill one-pager is available HERE. Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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