Under a STARLINK SKY
On the night of 24 May 2019, astronomers looked up to see a chain of bright lights moving across the darkness. While the flash of planes and satellites are familiar sights in the night sky, no one had ever seen so many, so bright and so close together.
As images and videos of the strange sight made their way around social media, the culprit soon became apparent – 60 satellites released by spaceflight company SpaceX as part of its Starlink project. And this was just the first batch of many.
Starlink is a megaconstellation – a network of satellites in low-Earth orbit. Its goal is to supply cheap internet access around the entire globe, particularly in rural and remote areas beyond the reach of traditional connections. The ‘mega’ part of the name is certainly earned. When finished, Starlink will consist of over 12,000 satellites. With other companies, including Amazon, UK-based
OneWeb and several Chinese
