Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites lining up over New Zealand

Wednesday, 19 February 2020

If you see a line of lights moving through the night sky on Wednesday, don't be alarmed, it's just Elon Musk's creation.

Are you capturing any good pictures of Elon's satellites? Send your photos and videos to newstips@stuff.co.nz

SpaceX's Starlink satellites are set to move past New Zealand on Wednesday night and remain visible until February 27.

Tracking website Find Starlink noted Aucklanders would be able to view the collection of satellites at around 9pm on Wednesday, 9.26pm on Thursday, and 9.52pm on Friday.

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In Wellington they would be visible at 9pm, 10.36pm and 11pm on Wednesday, and 9.25pm on Thursday; Christchurch would be able to see them at 8.59pm, 9.24pm, 10.35pm and 10.59pm on Wednesday, and 9.25pm and 9.50pm on Thursday.

All of these viewings are dependent on the weather. MetService was forecasting clouds for all three main city centres on Wednesday evening.

The 60 satellites were released into orbit by Elon Musk's SpaceX on Tuesday, 24-hours later than initially scheduled, due to a technical issue.

They are part of the company's plan to create a massive constellation of small broadband satellites to boost internet connections. The company launched its first batch of 60 satellites in May, 2019, and hopes to finish the project in 2027.

By then, the network could include up to 42,000 satellites - there are almost 300 satellites in orbit currently.

The plan worried some scientists, with many concerned about the future of astronomy. It is feared the satellites may become too bright and potentially form a 'megaconstellation' that blots out the stars.