Astronomers worried by launch of five new super-bright satellites

An unusually reflective prototype satellite that outshines almost every star in the sky will be joined by another five later this week. Astronomers warn the appearance of more and more bright objects in the night sky will severely hinder their work and could even limit our ability to spot asteroids heading for Earth.

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile launched its first BlueWalker 3 satellite in 2022 and immediately drew criticism from astronomers who discovered that it was brighter than all but seven stars in the night sky.