VIDEO: See strange lights in the sky? They’re likely SpaceX satellites

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - They’re not an extraterrestrial sighting--the string of lights you may spot in northeast Indiana skies are high-tech satellites launched by SpaceX.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink satellites have been visible in recent days in our area and many others, according to the website Findstarlink.com, which tracks the satellites’ progress through space. From earth, it looks like a short train of tiny white lights, and can often be seen for several minutes before fading from sight.

A man from Hamilton, Indiana, sent ABC21 the above video of his Starlink sighting there on Thursday night. In Fort Wayne, the Starlink website says satellite visibility will be good Friday around 10:01 p.m. for about four minutes, with “average visibility” on Saturday at 5:12 a.m. and Sunday at 5:36 a.m.

File-In this photo taken May 6, 2021, with a long exposure, a string of SpaceX StarLink... — File-In this photo taken May 6, 2021, with a long exposure, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone house near Florence, Kan. The train of lights was actually a series of relatively low-flying satellites launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX as part of its Starlink internet service earlier this week.(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

According to Space.com, the satellites provide high-speed internet worldwide, with over 1,469 Starlink satellites in orbit as of February. They say the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted SpaceX permission to fly 12,000 total Starlink satellites, and the company has filed paperwork with an international regulator to loft up to 30,000 more.

“Starlink is ideally suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable,” the Starlink website says. “People across the globe are using Starlink to gain access to education, health services and even communications support during natural disasters.”

On the Starlink website, you can order a satellite if it is available in your region. Prices vary by region, and a search for a Fort Wayne location gave a hardware price of $599, a one-time shipping and handling charge of $50, and a monthly service charge of $110. However, the site shows Starlink is currently at capacity in the Fort Wayne area.

Starlink order form for Fort Wayne, IN — Starlink order form for Fort Wayne, IN(Starlink)

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