SpaceX: the video of Starlink satellites seen from Space during the mission that piqued Italy's interest recently

In recent days, the Starlink 10-38 mission was launched from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The liftoff occurred at 20:06 on May 1 with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that carried 29 Starlink satellites for high-speed, low-latency Internet communication into orbit. The first stage, used for the CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18 and SES-19 missions, as well as another 26 Starlink missions, successfully landed on the ASOG (A Shortfall of Gravitas) droneship in the Indian Ocean, marking its 31st flight.

Due to the timing of the launch, during one of the initial orbits, the release of the satellites from the second stage and the discharge of propellant from it were highly visible from Italy (particularly in the north, but not only). This was due to the altitude at which the second stage was located at that moment, managing to capture some rays of sunlight that no longer illuminated the Earth's surface. A sight that aroused considerable curiosity (and a bit of initial apprehension).

Stunning first-sat views from @Starlink launch G10-38 on May 1, deployed from @SpaceX's Falcon rocket. Watch as the Starlink sats cruise over an entire orbit, through sunrise and sunset, and slowly separate from each as they complete their post-launch deployment sequence before

Michael Nicolls (VP for Starlink at SpaceX) released a new spectacular video of the Starlink 10-38 mission showing the satellites in space during the initial release phases, captured not from the Falcon 9's second stage but rather from another Starlink satellite. It is a unique video because it is possible to see directly two satellites of the mega-constellation close to each other in the frame, showcasing their known design features.

A Starlink satellite captures other satellites during the same launch. Nicolls wrote on X, "breathtaking view from a satellite of the launch of Starlink satellites from the G10-38 mission on May 1, deployed from SpaceX's Falcon rocket. Watch as the Starlink satellites complete an entire orbit, through dawn and dusk, and slowly separate from each other as they finish their post-launch deployment sequence before starting the orbital lifting. The satellites are stacked like a deck of cards in the rocket, which slowly rotates as it releases them to impart a slight difference in speed to prevent collisions between the units."

The deployment of satellites for high-speed Internet connectivity began about an hour after the Falcon 9 rocket's liftoff and ended (approximately) when the second stage and some satellites were above Italy, generating that particular phenomenon, not rare but also not so frequent.