Starlink Satellites
On November 11 last year, the US space company, Space X, launched 60 Internet satellites with their own Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
This ambitious project, called Starlink, will enable a fast and stable internet connection, wherever you are on the earth, via a satellite network. That all sounds very good, many believe, but the number of satellites —and we are talking about thousands— may make it difficult or perhaps even impossible to observe space from Earth, so astronomers are concerned.
Other commercial companies will continue to offer space-based internet in the future. But is it a real problem or just some crazy astronomers who worry for no reason? Morten Remar has spoken (in Danish) to astronomer Mads Fredslund Andersen from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Aarhus.
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Additional information (in English):
- Less than 24 hours after SpaceX's launch of the first 60 Starlink satellites, amateur astronomer Dr. Marco Langbroek (sattrackcam.blogspot.com) captured them streaking over the Netherlands.
- Elon Musk: 'So Far, So Good' for Starlink Sats.
- SpaceX is launching 'dark satellites' to stop its Starlink project from wreaking havoc with astronomical research. Astronomers are skeptical.