INFRARED ASTRONOMY D. A. Harper In general, the impacts of the SPS on infrared (IR) observations should be much less severe than on optical measurements. For example, many infrared telescopes can be operated quite successfully during the daytime. Daytime operations are typically limited by the absolute pointing of the telescope or atmospheric turbulence rather than by increased sky background. However, IR telescopes are usually designed to minimize the total thermal background from the telescope itself, a requirement which is often incompatible with effective baffling of stray light. Thus, a problem may arise if a very bright object such as the SPS satellite array is located within a few degrees of a faint infrared source. The magnitude of the problem will depend on the design of individual telescopes and the nature of the desired observations. However, it is probably reasonable to assume that an array of 60 satellites, each representing a 330°K radiator with a projected area of ~ 1 square arcminute, will compromise observations of very faint objects within a strip of sky no larger than ~ 2 to 10° wide and 60° long.
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