Jan 7, 2020 - Science

SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites

A screenshot of the SpaceX satellite launch.

A screenshot of Monday's SpaceX satellite launch. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX launched another 60 of its internet-beaming Starlink satellites to orbit from Cape Canaveral Monday night.

Why it matters: Per Axios' Miriam Kramer, the Elon Musk-founded company hopes to one day have a constellation of thousands of satellites in orbit, beaming broadband internet around the globe, particularly to areas without reliable coverage now, and ultimately help fund Musk's bigger plans to establish a city on Mars or base on the Moon.

  • Astronomers have been worried that the influx of new satellites in the coming years could impact dark skies and impede the hunt for asteroids near Earth. But the latest launch by the Falcon 9 rocket marked the first time SpaceX has tested a dark coating in an attempt to allay such concerns.

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