The Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) has been admitted as an I-member of the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR) – a major step toward addressing unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) from satellites.
This development marks growing recognition that satellite-generated radio noise poses a serious threat to radio astronomy, which depends on detecting extremely faint cosmic signals. As part of CISPR, CRAF will work alongside industry, regulatory, and scientific stakeholders to promote international standards limiting satellite UEMR, similar to existing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) rules for terrestrial devices.
The CRAF, an expert committee of the European Science Foundation, represents radio observatories and institutes across Europe and South Africa in safeguarding the scientific environment for radio astronomy.