Washington (AFP)

Elon Musk dismissed astronomers' concerns on Monday about his giant constellation of Starlink satellites, which some scientists say may interfere with observing the sky, but which the boss of Space X predicted would have "not the slightest impact on astronomical discoveries. "

The Starlink project should make it possible to provide the Internet to users from space. Some 300 satellites have already been placed into orbit, and this number is expected to increase rapidly, potentially up to 42,000.

A wind of panic had blown after the launch of the first 60 satellites last May, which had formed a chain of 60 bright points letting fear of a visual pollution which spoils the observations with the telescope in the long term.

"I am convinced that we will not cause the slightest impact on astronomical discoveries, zero," said the founder of Space X at a press conference in Washington. "It's my prediction, we will take corrective action if it's above zero."

He said the problem only arose when the satellites were gaining altitude to go into orbit, and no longer existed when they reached their final position.

Despite this, Musk said his company is working with the scientific community to reduce their shine, for example by painting parts black rather than white.

The constellation is expected to be launched for the northern United States and Canada within the year, with global coverage planned for 2021.

Elon Musk did not give details on the future price of his service. The power will be sufficient to watch movies in high definition or play video games without significant latency.

The terminal to receive the signal will look like "a UFO on a stick," he said, assuring that its installation would be very easy. "The box will contain only two instructions, which can be followed in any order: point to the sky, and plug in."

The antenna will then automatically align with one of the satellites.

The service targets primarily the niche market of users living in isolated regions, which therefore does not threaten traditional telecommunications companies, according to Elon Musk.

Elon Musk hopes to eventually gain 3 to 5% of the global internet market, a share estimated at 30 billion dollars per year.

© 2020 AFP