On May 23, 2019, SpaceX launched a packet of sixty 227-kilogram (500-pound) satellites, deploying them to an initial orbit of 440 kilometers (273 miles). These satellites represented the initial phase of SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation, a giant network of satellites buzzing around Earth. Starlink has a lofty goal: to provide worldwide broadband internet access from low-Earth orbit. But it also heralds unintended consequences for astronomy.
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