November 11, 2019

Elon Musk, and the engineers over at SpaceX have done it again! Another record breaking launch of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle. This time, they launched the 1st stage for a record breaking 4th time, and, also reused the nose fairing from a previous launch. A task that has never been done before. I tip my hat to the engineers and technicians that make these accomplishments a reality!

This launch is the second in a series that will eventually deploy about 42,000 small satellites around the globe that are designed to create a network that will deliver high speed, low latency, internet service to the majority of the planet. The network is called Starlink. 

60 small, 260Kg / 573lb were launched during this mission. And, as with most advances in technology, there are those that are not completely happy about it. In this case, it is the from the world of astronomy that complaints have come. Some astronomers are complaining that the string of satellites are interfering with their view of the cosmos.

Reference this November 18, 2019 article from Forbes.com. In it, one astronomer has been quoted as tweeting “This is not cool!” in response to a train of 19 Starlink satellites that at least partially obscured their instruments view. With less than 1% of the projected number of Starlink satellites having been launched, I feel pretty certain that we will hear more grumbling and complaints as the launches continue in the future.

Starlink expects to begin offering service in the northern United States, and Canada sometime in 2020.

Will such a huge number of orbiting satellites become a real issue for astronomers in the near future? Will the benefits of a global high speed internet connection outweigh the downside?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

73

KD4LQB