A bright trail of light in the evening sky caused a sensation over large parts of south-west Germany and Switzerland. Experts from the Federal Office of Civil Protection (FOCP) were quickly able to clear up the situation: according to them, the fast-moving, highly luminous celestial spectacle on Tuesday evening was a Starlink satellite that entered the Earth's atmosphere over Switzerland and was visible in the south-west. The Space Situational Awareness Centre of the German Armed Forces provided the FOCP with this information, said a spokesperson. Starlink satellites belong to Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX. They are designed to make fast internet available everywhere and fly at an altitude of around 500 kilometres. SpaceX is by far the largest operator with more than 5,000 Starlink satellites in Earth's orbit, with around 42,000 planned. According to the company, Starlink satellites pose no threat to public safety. In several cities in Baden-Württemberg, people called the ...
