Starlink satellites from SpaceX spotted above Twin Cities metro
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans spotted a strange sight in the sky this week — a string of multiple lights
"We had no idea what it was," said Heidi Benson from Champlin.
Chloe Fischer saw it in Brooklyn Park and says she did a double take.
"It was kind of scary, because I feel like that's one of those things we should either hear about or get a heads up about just so people don't have that panic moment," Fischer said.
The lights were low earth orbit satellites from the company SpaceX.
They're part of the Starlink network that provides satellite internet service.
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WCCO field crews will sometimes use a Starlink dish to connect to the internet in more remote places.
Starlink provides coverage to dozens of countries through its 5,000 satellites in the sky.
In Minnesota, a lot of work goes into making internet available in rural areas.
"Our goal is to get broadband to all Minnesotans," said Brent Christensen with the Minnesota Telecom Alliance.
Christensen says somewhere between 10 to 20% of the state still doesn't get high speed internet.
Satellites can help fill in the gaps on more extreme terrains.
"We know that there will be a play at some point for, and a need for, Starlink to get to some of the people that we can't," Christensen said.
If you missed them, an online tracker says Starlink can be seen in Minneapolis on Thursday and Friday night, just before 6 p.m.
Sixty-eight more of the satellites have been launched into space in the last week, including 23 on Wednesday from Florida.