NSF and SpaceX reach agreement to reduce Starlink effects on astronomySEATTLE — The National Science Foundation has reached an agreement with SpaceX to mitigate the effects of the company’s second-generation Starlink satellites on astronomy, even as another organization goes to court to block the constellation’s deployment.NSF, which funds operations of several major observatories, announced Jan. 10 that is had completed an astronomy coordination agreement with SpaceX regarding its Gen2 Starlink constellation.He noted SpaceX had voluntarily worked with the NSF on that agreement just before the FCC issued the license.The agreement is voluntary, since beyond the FCC requirement for such an agreement in the Gen2 Starlink license there is no law or policy requiring SpaceX or other satellite operators to mitigate the effects of their constellation on astronomy.Given the size of Starlink and other planned constellations by other companies, “it is critical that federal agencies responsible for making decisions on the future of the night sky – an essential element of the human environment – follow existing laws.”IDA argues in a court filing that its members “face a series of harms” from the FCC’s decision to award the Starlink license, including adverse impacts on amateur and professional astronomy and “a diminishment in the enjoyment of the dark sky.”The basis for its appeal is that the FCC violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by awarding the license."