On 11 September, the AST SpaceMobile company launched BlueWalker 3, a prototype for a fleet of 100 satellites in low-Earth orbit that the company hopes will supply 5G coverage to ordinary mobile phones in far flung locations around the world.
At first, the satellite appeared unremarkable, only faintly visible to the human eye at between magnitude 4 and 8. That changed dramatically on 10 November when the spacecraft suddenly brightened and began to outshine most stars.
