Drone-like objects seen in Bihar turn out to be Starlink satellites

Residents of Jayanagar in Bihar’s Madhubani district –— witnessed moments of excitement and anxiety as several drone-like objects were seen in the night sky in the past week. Notably, the area is situated on the India-Nepal border.

‘Gearing up for India launch’

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• Elon Musk-backed Starlink is said to be gearing up to introduce its satellite communication services in India after clearing most of the regulatory hurdles. According to the reports, its plans could be priced around $10 (roughly Rs 850) per month.
• Earlier this month, Starlink had received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), granting it permission to kick-start satellite communication services in India.

Officials of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the India-Nepal frontier, however allayed their fears, saying that the drone-like objects were actually low-flying satellites of Starlink, which were being tested in the region.

An SSB official told The Tribune that as these satellites were on a low trajectory, they could be seen in the night sky under the reflection of moonlight, which caused a stir among the locals of the region.

Failing to find any remnants of drones on the ground in the neighbouring area, the SSB officials had contacted the Indian Air Force station in Darbhanga to shed light on the matter.

On investigation with the help of the Navy’s high resolution surveillance aerial platforms, it was found that the shining objects visible in the night sky were actually Starlink satellites.

The Navy’s high-resolution surveillance aerial platforms include the MQ-9B drones and the fleet of Boeing P8-I surveillance planes that can detect any aerial platform emitting a signal like the Starlink satellites.

Around 15 to 20 drone-like objects were being regularly seen in Jayanagar in Madhubani district of Bihar for the past one week, leading to the SSB battalion posted there to send the information to the Darbhanga Air Force station.

Elon Musk-backed Starlink is said to be gearing up to introduce its satellite communication services in India after clearing most of the regulatory hurdles. As per reports, its plans could be priced around $10 (roughly Rs 850) per month.

Earlier this month, Starlink had received a Letter of Intent from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), granting it permission to kick-start satellite communication services in India.