So SpaceX puts 60 satellites in orbit... and they plan to add 11,988 more.

[3Hotdogs]

Last edited Mon May 27, 2019, 08:24 AM - Edit history (1)

At the same time, we read about space junk endangering existing satellites and even the space station. Am I missing something?







Edited to correct number of satellites.

[PoliticAverse]

1. See...

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/04/spacex-changes-broadband-satellite-plan-to-limit-debris-and-lower-latency/

[democratisphere]

2. I am sure Space Force will have a control tower to manage

all of the space junk and UFOs orbiting around the Earth.

[HuskyOffset]

3. They just put 60 up

SpaceX just put up 60 Starlink satellites up:

[bitterross]

4. Wasn't it more like 5 dozen?

https://www.space.com/spacex-launches-60-starlink-internet-satellites.html

I watched their video on these and it's pretty cool tech. Very forward-thinking. Much more so than how we've thrown things into space until now.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. 60 of one, 5 dozen of the other ... nt

[NNadir]

5. You're not missing anything. You're just doing something very unpopular.

You're being aware.

Being reality based is not good for you in these times.

Elon Musk is a plague, a popular plague subject to much mindless cheering here and elsewhere, but a plague all the same.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Sure, let's TRIPLE the number of objects in orbit. What could go wrong ?

I suspect professional astronomers will start keeping Musk voodoo dolls hanging from their consoles ...

[Jim__]

8. SpaceX satellites pose new headache for astronomers

From phys.org:

It looked like a scene from a sci-fi blockbuster: an astronomer in the Netherlands captured footage of a train of brightly-lit SpaceX satellites ascending through the night sky this weekend, stunning space enthusiasts across the globe.

But the sight has also provoked an outcry among astronomers who say the constellation, which so far consists of 60 broadband-beaming satellites but could one day grow to as many as 12,000, may threaten our view of the cosmos and deal a blow to scientific discovery.

The launch was tracked around the world and it soon became clear that the satellites were visible to the naked eye: a new headache for researchers who already have to find workarounds to deal with objects cluttering their images of deep space.

"People were making extrapolations that if many of the satellites in these new mega-constellations had that kind of steady brightness, then in 20 years or less, for a good part the night anywhere in the world, the human eye would see more satellites than stars," Bill Keel, an astronomer at the University of Alabama, told AFP.

more ...

[nitpicker]

9. Link to The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/28/spacex-satellites-could-blight-the-night-sky-warn-astronomers

[dalton99a]

10. After SpaceX Starlink Launch, a Fear of Satellites That Outnumber All Visible Stars

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/01/science/starlink-spacex-astronomers.html

After SpaceX Starlink Launch, a Fear of Satellites That Outnumber All Visible Stars
Images of the Starlink constellation in orbit have rattled astronomers around the world.
By Shannon Hall
June 1, 2019


A constellation of Starlink satellites seen in the night sky over the Netherlands, nearly 24 hours after being launched by SpaceX. By Marco Langbroek Via Reuters

Last month, SpaceX successfully launched 60 500-pound satellites into space. Soon amateur skywatchers started sharing images of those satellites in night skies, igniting an uproar among astronomers who fear that the planned orbiting cluster will wreak havoc on scientific research and trash our view of the cosmos.

The main issue is that those 60 satellites are merely a drop in the bucket. SpaceX anticipates launching thousands of satellites — creating a mega-constellation of false stars collectively called Starlink that will connect the entire planet to the internet, and introduce a new line of business for the private spaceflight company.

While astronomers agree that global internet service is a worthy goal, the satellites are bright — too bright.

“This has the potential to change what a natural sky looks like,” said Tyler Nordgren, an astronomer who is now working full-time to promote night skies.

Link to tweet

A view of Starlink’s satellites just before being deployed on May 24. SpaceX