Upcoming Starlink launches in October 2023
As of late September, there was just one Starlink launch deliberate for October. Nonetheless, September had few scheduled to begin with however ended with 9. So don’t be shocked to see extra added to this record.
Starlink Group 6-21: October 4, 2023, 22:16 p.m. EDT (2:16 UTC October 5)
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral, Florida | DATE/TIME MAY CHANGE
You possibly can watch a recorded livestream of the Starlink launches on SpaceX’s X (formerly Twitter) account.
After launch, search for a prepare of lights
Following each Starlink launch, the web buzzes with individuals asking:
What’s that lengthy line of lights within the sky that appears like a prepare?
What you’re seeing is the Starlink satellites shifting into a better orbit. You possibly can examine to see if they’ll cross over your space utilizing the Find Starlink website.
Rising numbers amid controversy
Based on Wikipedia, as of August 2023 Starlink consists of over 5,000 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit that talk with designated floor transceivers. They supply web entry to greater than 2 million subscribers.
Love ’em or hate ’em, these Starlink satellites are a part of SpaceX’s imaginative and prescient for a world web communication satellite constellation. They ship high-speed web service worldwide, primarily to areas the place ground-based web is unreliable, unavailable, or costly. The non-public firm is well-known for launching batches back-to-back, a number of occasions a month, repeatedly lofting 60 satellites at a time. And SpaceX plans to construct as much as maybe as many as 30,000 finally.
Most thought it was thrilling to see the primary few Starlink satellites touring collectively within the evening sky. However then extra have been launched, after which extra. And astronomers began to worry.
As a result of Starlinks are vivid, astronomers say they’re photobombing astronomical images. Due to this fact, they’ve the potential to intervene with the skilled astronomical observations which have introduced us our modern-day view of the cosmos. And though SpaceX has tried to deal with the problem, they continue to be removed from what astronomers say is appropriate.
Backside line: SpaceX at the moment has one Starlink launch deliberate for the month of October 2023.
Read more from EarthSky: Starlink satellites can look like a plume or train of light
