Despite current International Telecommunication Union rules on use of the electromagnetic spectrum, satellites sometimes suffer from interference – radio frequency interference, or RFI. This can be detrimental in a number of ways, including loss of data, risk of damage to the satellite receiver and biased or uncertain measurements. Satellite sensors can be affected by RFI in several frequency bands and over different parts of the world.

The animation shows the probability of interference across the globe between February 2023 and February 2024.

Read full story: Managing frequencies for Earth observation