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NASA astronaut Don Petit has shared remarkable images of SpaceX's Starlink low Earth orbit (LEO) internet satellites from space as he spends time onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Petit took to the skies in September on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft and has been sharing regular updates on X since then. One of his latest posts shows SpaceX's Starlink satellites, but unlike most Starlink images from Earth, these show the spacecraft orbiting Earth from space.
The astronaut captured the satellites as 'flashes' that stood in sharp contrast to the star trails in his images. Petit also shared a first-person perspective of entering SpaceX's Crew Dragon from the space station after he entered the ship last month before its port relocation earlier this month.
SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites orbit higher than the ISS at a safe distance but at a sufficiently low altitude to ensure rapid data transfer to Earth. Over the course of the past couple of years, SpaceX has launched more than six thousand Starlink satellites as part of its bid to rapidly build a LEO internet constellation before rivals like Amazon's Kuiper can get their spacecraft off the ground.
These satellites have also been controversial in the astronomy community, with criticism directed against SpaceX for obstructing a clear view of the sky. In response, the firm has repeatedly asserted that its satellites are designed to reduce reflections and provide a clear view of the night sky.
Most images of the Starlink spacecraft are taken from Earth, and they often show the satellites moving in a straight line. This time around, Petit's photography captures them from LEO aboard the ISS.
The two images show the Starlink satellites visible as horizontal flashes in the center. The direction of the flashes is perpendicular to the ISS' motion, as captured by the long exposure view of Earth and the stars. This is because the space station travels West to East at a 51.6-degree inclination, while SpaceX's satellites have different inclinations and orbital paths depending on their coverage regions.
According to Petit, the satellites are "reflecting pre-dusk or pre-dawn sunlight off their solar panels" and they are "only seen from 5 to 18 degrees preceding or trailing the sun." The flashes which make them visible are likely "each due to the orientation of their outward pointing solar panels." The flashes "are not directed towards earth and are strikingly bright from orbit," explains the astronaut, adding that the satellites have a "large flat face of the monolith points towards earth and the solar panel protrudes outward."
The astronaut also shared footage of what it's like to enter SpaceX's Crew Dragon from the space station. While on Earth, astronauts enter SpaceX's ship through a side hatch; in space, they have to enter and exit the ship through the forward hatch that is docked with the ISS.
While Petit did tour the Crew Dragon in space, he won't be returning to Earth on it. Unlike NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who flew on the Crew Dragon to ISS in September, Petit made his way to space on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft. His mission will last roughly six months before he returns to Earth on the same ship he took off in.