SpaceX and Elon Musk are on the brink of launching a unique take on satellite internet called Starlink and we can witness it with our own eyes very soon.
Satellite internet services have existed for a while now, but Starlink offers an interesting, ambitious take on the philosophy. Rather than have a small number of massive satellites transmitting data from beyond the Earth's atmosphere, Starlink depends on a "constellation" of smaller satellites positioned in low-Earth orbit. The number of arrays combined with their proximity to the ground means the service will be capable of astounding speeds and extremely low latency. With SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reporting 20ms latency tests, it could perform significantly better than 90% of America's broadband internet connections.
SpaceX is currently running internal Starlink tests and that means the company is already launching satellites into position. As a result, it's possible to see these arrays from the ground in certain parts of the world. This week, for example, The Independent reports people should be able to see them from the UK, weather permitting. A website called Find Starlink offers a location-based tracker to inform people about the potential of seeing a Starlink satellite. It also has opt-in notifications for people who can't currently see them or won't be able to within five days of visiting the site.
Starlink Satellites Might Not Be Visible Forever
One of the biggest concerns about Starlink – beyond the simple question of whether it'll work as well as Elon Musk says – is that satellites closer to Earth could cause distractions and interference. With SpaceX planning to deploy tens of thousands of satellites, people are worried that they'll cause problems with other radio communications. This is something the team is planning for and, according to Elon Musk, it hasn't been an issue to this point. They're working with officials in the FCC and other space research agencies to hopefully keep everyone happy.
Visibility itself is another potential issue. Astronomers require a relatively unobstructed view of the sky to do their jobs, and thousands of blinking satellites aren't going to help with that. The ones being used as part of the current fleet of tests are supposedly easier to see than the final product will be. Musk has promised "sunshades" and changing certain angles on the design of the satellites to mitigate their visibility in the future. As recently as March of this year, he was on record saying they'll be practically invisible even to telescopes at ground level, so, if he's right, enjoy the spectacle while it lasts.
Source: The Independent, Find Starlink