Elon Musk's SpaceX launches 60 more satellites into orbit as company looks to provide worldwide internet service

Tim Baker7 January 2020

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has successfully launched another 60 satellites into orbit in a bid to provide global broadband internet coverage.

The new space vessels are also testing a new darker coating after stargazers complained previous satellites hampered their observations.

SpaceX now have a network of 180 satellites in the Starlink fleet, each weighing around 260kg and circling Earth at heights ranging from 180 to 340 miles.

A Falcon 9 rocket launched on Monday evening and successfully delivered its payload.

The spacecraft then returned to the ground, landing on a seaborne platform ready to fly another day in a moment described by a commentator as “awesome”.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida
AP

After the first Starlink batch of 60 was launched in May and the second in November, astronomers complained about the bright satellite chain.

In response, SpaceX came up with a darkening treatment to lessen reflectivity, and the coating is being tested on one of the newly launched satellites.

Jeff Hall, director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, said the Starlinks have been just an occasional problem - so far - but noted the risk to stargazing will grow as the constellation expands and other companies launch their own fleets.

He heads the American Astronomical Society's committee on light pollution, space debris, and radio interference, and is working with SpaceX on the issue.

The latest launch delivered 60 satellites into orbit
AP

"Anything that darkens the satellites is a step in the right direction," Mr Hall said.

He added it's too soon to know whether the dark coating will work, "but it definitely is just a first step and not enough to mitigate the issues astronomy will experience with the Starlinks."

The Starlinks are initially placed in a relatively low orbit of 180 miles (290 km), easily visible as a long, strung-out cluster parading through the night sky.

Over a few months, krypton-powered thrusters raise the satellites to a 340 mile (550 km) orbit.

The higher the orbit, the less visible the satellites are from the ground.

Elon Musk wants to provide internet coverage to the world
AP

SpaceX has said it's supplying astronomy groups with the satellite coordinates in advance, so they can avoid the bright flyover times.

SpaceX is among several companies looking to provide high-speed, reliable internet service around the world, especially in places where it's hard to get or too expensive.

Others players include Jeff Bezos' Amazon and OneWeb.

SpaceX may start service later this year in the northern USA and Canada, then expand to the world's most populated areas after 24 launches.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press

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