SpaceX successfully launched its latest batch of Starlink internet satellites on Sunday, the 28th of February, after a delay the day before due to unfavorable weather conditions. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, delivering 60 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO).
Saturday’s attempt to launch was postponed due to strong upper-level winds and weather conditions that were not suitable for the recovery of the first stage booster. The Falcon 9 rocket was initially set to take off at 3:37 a.m. EST Saturday from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. However, SpaceX decided to delay the launch to ensure a safe landing for its reusable rocket booster.
The successful launch on Sunday was a significant achievement for SpaceX, which is developing the Starlink project to provide satellite internet connectivity to underserved areas of the planet where access to the internet is limited or non-existent. The project aims to build an interconnected network of about 12,000 small satellites spread out over several orbits.
The Falcon 9 rocket that was used for this mission had previously flown eight other missions, including the first crewed test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, Demo-2, which launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station in May 2020. This mission marked the rocket’s ninth flight, making it the fleet leader in SpaceX’s reusable rocket program.
The booster, designated B1051, returned to a drone ship named “Just Read the Instructions” stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, marking its ninth successful landing. The booster recovery process is a key part of SpaceX’s strategy to reduce launch costs by reusing rocket components.
The successful deployment of the 60 Starlink satellites brings the total number of these satellites launched by SpaceX to over 1,000. The company has started beta testing for customers in the northern United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with more than 10,000 users already connected to the Starlink network.
Despite this achievement, the Starlink project has been met with significant criticism from astronomers, who argue that the satellites are interfering with observations from ground-based telescopes. In response to these complaints, SpaceX has started to equip Starlink satellites with visors to reduce their brightness.
Looking forward, SpaceX has a busy schedule with plans to launch a new batch of Starlink satellites approximately every two weeks. It also has several high-profile missions on the horizon, including the launch of the next NASA crew to the International Space Station and the first all-civilian spaceflight later this year.
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