Starlink is SpaceX’s internet constellation. Since 2019, rockets have launched dozens of flat satellites at a time into low orbits, mostly between 340 and 570 km, so that a user anywhere is always within reach of several of them. It is by far the largest group of satellites ever built: more than half of all active satellites belong to it. Just after launch, a fresh batch can be seen as a “train” of bright dots moving in a line across the evening sky. Astronomers study how such large constellations affect telescope images, and SpaceX has darkened its satellites to reduce their glare.
How many Starlink satellites are in orbit?
Computing…
Questions and answers
Why are Starlink satellites so low?
Close to the ground, signals travel quickly and need less power; a satellite that fails also falls back and burns up within a few years.
What is a “Starlink train”?
Satellites from the same launch, still close together on their way to their final orbit, which look like a line of moving lights.
Where the numbers come from
Values refresh every second in your browser; the published data are checked every 10 minutes and updated several times a day.