The coming of low-Earth orbit satellites

SPACE IS BECOMINGLEO more crowded. On December 3rd a Falcon 9 rocket made by SpaceX thundered into the sky. On board were 64 small satellites, more than any American company had launched before in one go. They have an array of uses, from space-based radar to the monitoring of radio-frequency emissions. One, designed by Trevor Paglen, an artist, will soon unfurl a 30-metre reflective structure that will shine down on Earth like an artificial star, visible to the naked eye.These objects are part of the latest breed of low-Earth-orbit () satellites, which are designed to whizz around the planet only a few hundred kilometres above its surface. This week’s launch is just a taste of what is planned. SpaceX and OneWeb, a communications firm, plan to launch satellites in their thousands, not hundreds (see ). The pair are set to double the total number of satellites in orbit by 2027.