A row of mysterious lights spotted in the night sky over Colorado this week have been identified as satellites launched by Elon Musk for his Starlink satellite project.
Video shows a line of satellites making a slow trail through the sky, with many observers enchanted by the display.
But the billionaire has been slammed by astronomers for the ‘disgusting’ project which they claim is ‘a crime against humanity’.
Starlink is the informal name given to the project by Musk’s Space X which plans to create a constellation of thousands of low-orbit small satellites in order to improve internet service.
With plans to launch 12,000 satellites as part of the constellation over the coming years, astronomers are concerned that the light pollution created by the satellites is set to ruin their work.
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The amazing video from New Zealand show the string of 60 satellites
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched Starlink which has launched 300 satellites so far and plans to launch thousands more reaching at least 1,500 by the end of 2020
People were in awe of the Starlink satellites as they were spotted on Thursday
The mysterious sighting was quickly identified as the Space X project
The first 60 satellites were launched on May 24, 2019, and with the fifth batch successfully launched in February, the company now has 300 of these satellites over the earth.
The launch rate means Space X, launched in 2002, is well on its way to hitting the target of 1,500 satellites in low-orbit by the end of 2020.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, the aerospace company has been approved to launch 12,000 in total and is applying for permission to launch more.
Elon Musk envisions Earth’s orbit swarming with SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The CEO has filed paperwork with the International Telecommunications Union for the operation of 30,000 more small devices (pictured is a simulation of Starlinks blanketing Earth with broadband)
The California company will have a total of 42,000 satellites if the proposal is approved and it plans to launch hundreds, potentially thousands, into our orbit over the next year
Excited social media users in Colorado posted their own sighting of the satellite constellation.
‘I was today years old when I saw my first Startlink satellite train,’ one said.
‘Kinda cool to see Starlink satellites in the night sky tonight. Six total. #starlink Moon didn’t disappoint either,’ wrote another.
Others said the satellite train scared them with one Twitter user writing: ‘The first time I saw the #Starlink train, it was as terrifying as this. Actually, worst when you see it with ur own eyes.’
‘Watching the #starlink sat’s go over the garden, kinda freaky, kinda dope,’ added another.
A video of the trail was captured in Pukehina, New Zealand, as the satellites make a steady stream through the sky, standing out more prominently from the stars because of their low-Earth orbit.
The video was shot on February 23 shortly after the last satellite launch.
The video from New Zealand caught the satellite constellation in February
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it lifts off to launch 60 new Starlink satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on February 17, bringing the total to 300 in orbit
Some social media users were happy to see the new satellites
People in Colorado saw the satellites prominently this week
Others are less impressed with the new satellites
The Starlink project has drawn criticism for the effects that it will have on observations of the night’s sky.
So far SpaceX have about 300 Starlink Satellites in orbit but plan to have thousands over the next few years. OneWeb and others also plan to launch a similar number.
A recent study from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) found that satellite mega-constellations such as Starlink will ‘severely’ affect between 30 and 50 percent of observations taken by the Rubin Observatory, an astronomical observatory currently under construction in Chile.
‘Mitigation techniques that could be applied on ESO telescopes would not work for this observatory although other strategies are being actively explored,’ it said.
Sky observers and experts have also taken to social media over the past year to voice their concern about the disruption to their work.
Responding to the New Zealand video, a professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability branded Starlink a ‘crime against humanity’.
‘Starlink is a crime against humanity; it robs us of the skies of our ancestors to every corner of the earth’ wrote Travis Longcore, an associate adjunct professor at the institute.
‘Wow!! I am in shock!! The huge amount of Starlink satellites crossed our skies tonight at Cerro Telolo. Our DECam exposure was heavily affected by 19 of them! The train of Starlink satellites lasted for over 5 minutes!! Rather depressing… This is not cool!’ wrote one astronomer.
‘As always, everyone: Do not let billionaires unilaterally make a mess of the sky. And astronomical observations being disrupted is only one of the many problems things like #Starlink and #OneWeb pose,’ wrote another.
Astronomers have voiced their concern about how the satellites will affect their work
Elon Musk’s project has been criticized for disrupting work and cluttering the earth’s orbit
Actor Jack Gore spoke about the light pollution caused by the satellites
‘#Starlink’s satellites are causing light pollution in the night sky due to the sunlight reflecting off the satellite’s solar panels. This is bad for astronomers and astrophotographers everywhere due to streaking- the satellites crossing in front of their telescopes,’ said actor Jack Gore.
Answering to criticism on Twitter Elon Musk said he would be looking into the amount of light that the later satellites have been sending down toward the earth.
‘Agreed, sent a note to Starlink team last week specifically regarding albedo reduction. We’ll get a better sense of value of this when satellites have raised orbits & arrays are tracking to sun,’ he wrote.
A spokesperson for the American Astronomical Association said they wanted to find a way to work with SpaceX and others without ‘giving up the night sky’.
Elon Musk said in May that Space X were looking into ways to lessen light pollution
‘The goal of Starlink is to provide worldwide internet service, an aspiration we do not want to impede, but this requires one to two orders of magnitude more low Earth orbiting satellites (LEOs) than currently exist,’ they said.
Observatories around the world are taking measures to ‘raise awareness of this issue’ with the likes of the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the European Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies.
This is alongside work with the space companies to find practical solutions.
Starlink was started by Musk as a plan to bring in further revenue to find larger Space X projects such as a city on Mars, which will cost an estimated $10 trillion.
With the internet connectivity market bringing in around $1 trillion in annual revenue, Musk launched the project to bring internet access to even the world’s most remote areas.
His ambitious plan included launching up to 42,000 satellites.
The service may be available by this year.