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Starlink satellites have appeared late at night on fast-moving trains that resemble moving stars. Stargazers and astronomers have reported the unusual view across the country, sometimes viewing dozens of Starlink satellites at once. To date, SpaceX has launched a total of 422 Starlink satellites into orbit.
Starlink’s website says: “With performance that far exceeds that of traditional satellite Internet, and a global network with no limits on land infrastructure limitations, Starlink will offer high-speed broadband Internet to places where access has been poor. reliable, expensive, or completely unavailable. “
One person tweeted Elon Musk, saying, “@elonmusk, can I get on the list for the #starlink pilot test?
“He moved to an area without high-speed Internet access. We look forward to the launch of Starlink soon.”
But astronomers have also expressed concern that a constellation of 12,000 satellites will permanently damage the future of astronomical observations.
These criticisms are particularly troubling if satellites obscure asteroids and other space threats from ground-based telescopes.
SpaceX has recognized the concerns and promised to find a solution to the problem.
During a virtual press conference this week, Musk said SpaceX is crafting a new plan to reduce Starlink’s impact on the night skies.
Called VisorSat, the proposed solution will involve deploying small fins on each Starlink satellite to prevent sunlight from reflecting from its antennas toward Earth.
Musk also tweeted on April 22: “We are taking some key steps to reduce the brightness of the satellite by the way.
“It should be much less noticeable during orbit increase by changing the angle of the solar panel and all sats receive umbrellas starting at launch nine.”
