What just happened?
SpaceX, a company that builds rockets, launched a tall rocket called the Falcon 9 into space. Tucked inside the top of the rocket was a big stack of small machines called satellites.
These satellites are part of a giant group called Starlink. Their job is to beam internet down to people on Earth, even in places far from cities.
What is a satellite, anyway?
A satellite is a machine that flies around our planet, going round and round in a path called an orbit. Think of it like swinging a ball on a string in a big circle.
Starlink satellites are about the size of a small table when folded up. Dozens of them are packed together like a stack of pancakes before launch, then they spread out in space.
The rocket flies home
Here is the really cool part. After the rocket pushes the satellites high up, the bottom part of the rocket comes back down to Earth all by itself.
It lands gently, standing up straight on its legs, sometimes on a ship floating in the ocean. SpaceX can clean it up and use it again, which saves money and waste.
Why so many satellites?
One satellite can only cover a small part of the planet at a time. To send internet everywhere, you need thousands of them working together as a team.
That is why SpaceX keeps launching more, dozens at a time. Together they form a web of satellites circling the whole Earth, helping schools, homes, and even ships stay connected.
What about the night sky?
Some stargazers worry that bright satellites can show up in their photos of the stars. SpaceX has tried to make them darker so they bother telescopes less.
Scientists and space companies are working together to keep the night sky beautiful while still helping people get online. It is a puzzle they are solving as we go.