SpaceXSpaceX has successfully launched its fourth Starlink mission, lofting a further 60 satellites into space and increasing its number of satellites in orbit to 240 as it continues to rapidly expand its mega constellation. Currently only 1,500 active satellites orbit Earth, along with 3,000 dead satellites. In September 2019, a SpaceX Starlink satellite narrowly missed a similar collision with a European science satellite. Astronomers have also voiced concerns about the brightness of Starlink satellites, noting they could change the aesthetic of the night sky and hamper astronomical observations. In their first one to four months of deployment, Starlink satellites shine brighter than 99 percent of other objects in orbit.

Source: Forbes January 29, 2020 14:15 UTC