NASA astronaut Don Pettit has shared a new time-lapse video showing some of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites streaking across space.
Other lines of light appearing in the 18-second clip captured from the International Space Station (ISS) include city lights on Earth 250 miles below, and those of distant stars.
Pettit has earned a reputation for creating striking images and videos showing star streaks, but this is one of a few that also features SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
Since deploying the first Starlink satellites in 2019, SpaceX now has more than 7,000 of them orbiting Earth following multiple launches, the most recent of which took place just a few days ago using SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
The satellites provide internet connectivity to more than five million individuals and businesses on the ground, with SpaceX looking to build out its coverage with as many as 42,000 satellites in the coming years. The internet service is primarily aimed at under-served, low-density areas rather than heavily populated areas, though its ultimate goal is to become a premier global communications provider.
Several companies are competing with Starlink to some degree, though a newcomer that could give SpaceX a real run for its money is Amazon’s Project Kuiper service, which, like Starlink, is targeting residential and business users. The company was supposed to launch its first Project Kuiper satellites from Cape Canaveral in Florida a few days ago, but inclement weather prompted the mission team to scrub the liftoff.
Starlink hasn’t been without controversy, with astronomers complaining about reflected light from the satellites disrupting their efforts to explore deep space. SpaceX has tried to reduce the strength of the reflected light by coating the satellites in a dark material, while also adding reflective film to redirect the sunlight away from Earth, a move that may have caused the satellites to appear so prominently in Pettit’s time-lapse video.
Additionally, Starlink’s critical role in Ukraine’s military operations has sparked tensions over SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s unilateral control of the service, including his 2022 refusal to extend coverage to Crimea for a drone attack, and recent public clashes with European leaders over potential shutdowns.