Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellites dot the heavens, leaving stargazers upset

WASHINGTON: Two days after Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched 60 satellites in May as part of a mission to bring quick internet service to people worldwide, astronomers noticed something different.

As some of the satellites zipped past the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, telescopes trained on the night sky captured streaks of reflected sunlight that marred their view of a far-off star system.

Astronomers now worry that the vast number of communications craft planned, including nearly 12,000 of Musk’s Starlink fleet, will shine so brightly that they’ll interfere with research that depends on delicate visual observations of distant galaxies and nearby asteroids. The new satellites will fly lower than many traditional craft, and will arrive in unprecedented numbers — all told, more than double the roughly 5,000 satellites that are circling Earth now.


“We just happened to be pointed in the right direction, and Starlink flew right through it” on May 25, two days after launch, said Jeffrey Hall, director of the Lowell Observatory. The unexpected appearance helped to signal that, as Hall put it, “this is potentially a problem.”

Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp is authorised to launch 11,943 satellites for its Starlink fleet, making it by far the leader in a total of nearly 13,000 low-Earth orbit satellites currently approved by the Federal Communications Commission, which coordinates trajectories and radio-frequency use. In addition, Amazon-.com’s Jeff Bezos on Thursday filed to place 3,236 internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The lower trajectories offer minimal lag time for data to bounce between the ground and the spacecraft, overcoming the signal lethargy that’s limited internet-from-space schemes dependent on traditional communications satellites. Those older craft are parked some 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth, an altitude that lets them appear to hover in one spot.

At low-Earth orbit — altitudes of just 112 to 1,200 miles — satellites need to race around the globe to stay aloft, completing orbits in as little as 90 minutes. As one moves toward the horizon it will pass signal duties off to the next satellite coming by.