Mysterious lights seen in sky over North India; are those Elon Musk's Starlink satellites?

In an intriguing development, mysterious lights were spotted over a few north Indian states, following which, several videos and images were shared on social media. Defence sources have confirmed that it was a satellite, reported ANI. Meanwhile, some media reports also suggest that those are Elon Musk-led ‘Starlink’ satellites.

Some users on Twitter shared similar images and videos where a flickering light, which looks almost like a straight line, was seen moving and shining in the night sky. 

Mysterious Lights Across across Gujarat Sky

Earlier in June, in a similar case, a skywatcher in Gujarat's Junagadh was left stunned after he had witnessed a strange aerial object flying across the sky with a cluster of flickering lights. The sighting sparked discussion about whether it was a UFO as the trail of light slowly cruising into the night did not resemble that of an airplane or a military jet. The unique kind of flying craft created a shadow in the shape of a disc or a saucer that gave rise to the speculations if it was the Unidentified flying object (UFO).

Elon Musk's SpaceX Successfully Launches Falcon 9 Rocket Carrying 48 'Starlink' Satellites

Elon Musk’s aerospace company Space X successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a stack of 48 Starlink satellites and two BlackSky Earth observation satellites into orbit. Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:12 pm (EST). “The Falcon has landed,” SpaceX representatives said on a live broadcast on Thursday. 

The liftoff has now marked the second upgraded batch of Starlink satellites to launch from Florida on the previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket. Nine minutes after the launch, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth, touching down on SpaceX’s drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” for a successful upright landing. While taking to Twitter, SpaceX also confirmed the deployment of 48 Starlink satellites and BlackSky satellites. 

30K more Starlink satellites approved 

Meanwhile, it is to mention that Falcon 9 has had its first-stage boosters launched into space as part of several missions, including five Starlink missions. To date, SpaceX has launched around 1,900 flat-panelled broadband satellites with just under 900 launched in 2021 alone. The aerospace company has also approved 30,000 more satellites, with the option for as many as 42,000.