Elon Musk, an influential business tycoon known for creating Tesla and SpaceX, recently launched Starlink satellites into space. Many stargazers were animatedly waiting to catch sight of the series of Starlink satellites that were passing over the UK between the 22nd of April and 25th of April. The display of satellites lasted around 6 minutes, almost appearing to look like moving stars as they sprinted across the night sky. 

 

My family and I had an avid interest in this event and decided to venture out into the cold night on the 22nd of April in the hope of seeing the Starlink satellites lined up. Despite the satellites being predicted to be seen at 9:34pm on the day, we viewed the satellites at around 9:10pm and found the sight to be astounding to watch, evoking a sense of wonder and fascination for all of us. In areas where the sky tended to be clearer, we were able to see the Starlink satellites lined up like a constellation, each of them moving simultaneously with one another, and then being gone only minutes later. 

 

Musk initially started this project in 2018, with the maiden launch being on February the 22nd. Till date, SpaceX has launched 422 satellites into space and aim to provide low cost internet to remote locations. Some satellites would also be sold for military, scientific or exploratory purposes. The project will eventually have around 12,000 satellites in orbit around the planet. 

 

It was enlightening to have an event such as the Starlink satellites cause a moment of happiness amongst the Coronavirus pandemic. It gives hope that people with poor quality of lives and who live in remote locations may be able to receive access to the internet at a low cost and potentially gain knowledge they would have never been able to receive otherwise. 


By Priyal Dhanjal