Space
SpaceX shares how it’s making Starlink satellites less bright.
SpaceX shared how it’s making its Starlink satellites less bright. The space exploration company published a document titled, Brightness Mitigation Best Practices for Satellite Operators that outlines how it’s working with the astronomy community to reduce light pollution.
New document from @SpaceX https://t.co/aI17WdaqrF
explaining what they have been doing to make their satellites less bright.
I applaud SpaceX for their work on this (and for making the document public), while remaining concerned to see how bright the Gen2 Starlinks end up being— Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589) July 29, 2022
SpaceX has been criticized for the brightness of its Starlink satellites by astronomers. Elon Musk and the team at SpaceX not only listened to the criticism but are actively responding to it by collaborating with the astronomy community to solve the issue.
SpaceX Is Making Starlink satellites Invisible to the naked eye.
SpaceX noted that through the collaboration, it has identified and mitigated the key causes of satellite brightness. The company is working on making the satellites invisible to the naked eye when they are at their standard operational altitude.
If satellites are illuminated by the sun at night, they can be visible to observers from the earth. However, the visibility of any satellite depends on the materials used for its surfaces.
Since satellites don’t emit their own light, the brightness results from natural sunlight scattering off of the satellites’ surfaces and reflecting down to earth. The light can scatter in two different ways: specular or diffuse.
SpaceX is focusing on specular scatter
SpaceX is investing in specular surfaces. Specular light is reflected at a single angle just like a mirror. Diffuse light reflects from many angles. The image above shows the difference between how specular light scatters and diffuse light scatters.
SpaceX noted that not all materials are highly reflective and some can be absorptive or make the light that is reflected much less bright.
SpaceX’s satellites are visible from the ground in two ways.
- Sunlight scatters off the main body.
- Sunlight scatters from the solar arrays.
To solve this, SpaceX adopted mitigations for both problems for its current, first-generation satellites.
Sun Visors and RF-Transparent mirror films
Sun Visors
For the first-gen satellites, SpaceX developed sun visors that block sunlight from hitting the bottom side of the chassis (body of the satellite.) They were made from materials that engineers developed to be invisible to radio frequencies.
However, the sun visors blocked the laser links that SpaceX uses to expand coverage to remote regions of the world. Additionally, the visors generated significant drag on the satellites. So, SpaceX determined that the sun visors weren’t a long-term solution.
RF- transparent mirror films.
SpaceX developed RF-transparent mirror films as an alternative to the sun visors. The film scatters most of the sunlight away from the Earth. SpaceX said that it has been improving its mirror films to scatter less light back to the earth.
It plans to deploy a new and improved version of the film on its next-generation satellites.
Inter-cell backing material
Another change that SpaceX made to its first-gen satellites involved the inter-cell backing material. The material was initially white but SpaceX changed it to a dark red that reduces the arrays’ brightness.
The downside is that the darkening of the material increases the temperature of the solar array which reduces performance. However, SpaceX will adopt many designs such as this one to reduce the brightness of the satellites.
Dielectric Mirror Film for Starlink satellites.
SpaceX noted that its second-gen satellite will add more capacity to the Starlink network; connecting more people in more places.
The second-gen satellites will use the following three advanced brightness techniques and I will dive into one of them: Dielectric Mirror film.
SpaceX will cover the bottom of the satellites with a second-gen dielectric mirror film. This version reduces the observed brightness ten times better than the first-gen film by using a Bi-Directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) metric.
You can see how the BRDF for decreases visibility in the chart below.
Credit: SpaceX
Through extensive research and iteration, SpaceX maximized the film’s specular scatter. The core of the film is a Bragg mirror that includes many thin layers of plastic that have a variety of refractive indices which create interference patterns internally to reflect the light.
It also allows radio waves to pass through with no issues. Protective layers of titanium dioxide and silicon dioxide were added to protect the film in thin, pure layers that don’t affect the film itself. Below is a comparison between the first-gen and second-gen mirrors.
SpaceX plans to offer the dielectric mirror film as a product
SpaceX plans to offer the dielectric mirror film as a product on the Starlink website. The reason is that SpaceX can not reduce the effect of satellites on space exploration by itself.
The film will be offered at cost and all operators will be able to use it to reduce the effect of their own constellations.
SpaceX will continue to work with the astronomy community
SpaceX emphasized that not only is the astronomy community’s work important but that it would continue to work with them to reduce the effects of all satellite operations.
“SpaceX is committed to connecting as many people as possible through Starlink, improving the lives of millions of people here on Earth.”
“As a space exploration company, SpaceX is a strong supporter of astronomy and the scientific community.”
You can read the full document here.
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Elon Musk has firmly denied recent media reports suggesting that SpaceX has reduced its target valuation for an upcoming initial public offering.
The denial came directly from the SpaceX and Tesla frontman on his social media platform X, where he responded with a single word, “False,” to a post from ZeroHedge that cited Bloomberg sources.
This swift rebuttal underscores Musk’s ongoing effort to manage speculation surrounding one of the most anticipated market debuts in recent history.
False
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2026
According to the disputed reports, SpaceX had lowered its IPO valuation goal to at least $1.8 trillion from previous ambitions exceeding $2 trillion.
The claims emerged amid growing anticipation for the company’s confidential S-1 filing, which positions it for a potential public listing as early as June.
Some had pointed to strong revenue growth, particularly from the Starlink satellite internet service, which contributed heavily to the firm’s 2025 figures of $18.7 billion. Yet challenges persist in other areas, including substantial investments and losses tied to ambitious projects like Starship development and artificial intelligence initiatives, which plan to make life multiplanetary eventually.
Musk’s response highlights a pattern in which he actively counters what he views as inaccurate portrayals of his companies’ trajectories.
SpaceX, already valued privately at extraordinary levels, stands as a cornerstone of Musk’s empire alongside Tesla and xAI. The entrepreneur has long emphasized the transformative potential of reusable rockets and global broadband access, factors that fuel investor enthusiasm despite operational hurdles.
By rejecting the valuation downgrade narrative, Musk signals confidence in SpaceX’s fundamentals and its readiness for public markets on terms favorable to its long-term vision. People have been waiting a very long time to invest in SpaceX, and the valuation, as well as the introductory share price, is not going to need adjusting.
They’ll have plenty of suitors.
This episode reflects broader dynamics in the technology sector, where rumors often swirl around high-profile entities. Musk’s direct engagement with media narratives serves to maintain transparency and control the narrative around his ventures.
As SpaceX prepares for greater scrutiny in public markets, the founder’s denial reinforces optimism about its prospects. Supporters argue that the company’s innovative edge positions it for enduring success, far beyond short-term valuation debates. With the denial now public, attention turns to forthcoming regulatory filings that could provide clearer insights into SpaceX’s strategy and financial health.
The coming weeks promise to reveal more about how SpaceX will transition into a publicly traded powerhouse.
Elon Musk
SpaceX to become America’s Military data backbone for missiles, drones, and warfighters
The Space Force just handed SpaceX $2.29 billion to build the military’s space internet backbone.
The U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract on May 26, 2026 to build the backbone of its Space Data Network, a satellite-based communications system designed to keep American military forces connected anywhere on Earth in real time. The contract is firm-fixed-price and requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027.
In plain terms, the SDN Backbone is the plumbing behind the military’s space-based internet. It functions as a low Earth orbit satellite constellation providing robust, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport for the Joint Force, connecting sensors and weapons systems continuously, globally, and securely. Think of it as a private, hardened version of Starlink built specifically for battlefield communications, one that soldiers, ships, and aircraft can rely on even in contested environments where ground-based networks have been disrupted.
SpaceX is quietly becoming the U.S. Military’s only reliable rocket
The Space Force was direct about why SpaceX was selected. “The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters,” said USSF Col. Ryan Frazier.
“We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible,” added USSF Lt. Col. Fry, SDN Backbone system program manager.
The SDN Backbone will work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer, with the two systems forming a unified open architecture to provide critical data transport for current and future Department of War missions.
As Teslarati has reported, this is not SpaceX’s first Space Force contract of 2026. In April, the Space Force awarded SpaceX $178.5 million to launch missile tracking satellites, and SpaceX is already embedded in the Golden Dome missile defense software group. The $2.29 billion SDN Backbone award puts SpaceX at the center of how the American military communicates in space, a position with direct implications for its reported $1.75 trillion IPO valuation as the company heads toward a public offering as early as June 2026.
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Tesla plans ingenious improvement to one of its best features
Tesla saves its passengers again – This time after a 300-foot cliff fall in Malibu
