A string of flying lights over Oregon and Washington on the night of May 4 mystified residents — who did not Google what they were.
The lights fueled speculation among many viewers who wondered about any connection with Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You, observed annually.
But earlier in the day, SpaceX launched 60 of its Starlink broadband satellites, “completing SpaceX’s 10th Starlink mission this year,” it posted on Twitter.
The company, founded by Elon Musk, aims to create a “broadband megaconstellation” for affordable internet worldwide.
The National Weather Service in Seattle posted on Twitter: “Looks like this is associated with today’s @SpaceX Starlink satellite launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.”
The Starlink satellites were deployed at 3:01 p.m. EST and filmed over Oregon shortly after 9:30 p.m. PST.
“A veteran Falcon 9 rocket will ferry a full stack of Starlink satellites into space on Tuesday afternoon (May 4) and you can watch it live online,” space.com reported.
SpaceX has delivered 420 Starlink satellites since the beginning of March.
The Federal Communications Commission in April allowed SpaceX to operate more than 2,800 more satellites in lower orbit.
Various Twitter users posted about possible UFOs in the night sky.
(Edited by Judith Isacoff and Fern Siegel)
