SpaceX’s efforts to make its satellites less bright aren’t working

SpaceX is working hard to dim the Starlink satellites to minimize their impact on astronomy, but so far the company’s efforts have not worked as astronomers hoped. No. It may mean that we face a difficult choice between high-speed internet via satellite mega-constellations and ground-based astronomy unaffected by bright streaks.

To date, SpaceX has launched over 4200 Starlink communications satellites, most of which are still in orbit, accounting for more than half …