![]() ![]() SpaceX plans to haul thousands more Starlink satellites into orbit in the coming years to add to the network's capacity, which now has more than 1.5 million subscribers. The company’s global Internet network now has about 4,400 satellites in orbit, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who tracks spaceflight activity. SpaceX declared the launch a success following the deployment of the Starlink payloads about an hour after liftoff. The rocket’s nine kerosene-fueled Merlin engines fired for about two and a half minutes to climb to the edge of space, then the booster detached to descend toward a landing on one of SpaceX’s landing platforms floating northeast of the Bahamas.Īn upper-stage engine ignited to continue propelling the Starlink satellites into orbit. ![]() The record-setting rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:58 pm EDT (03:58 UTC) with 22 second-generation Starlink satellites. Sunday night’s mission got the booster’s extended life off to a good start. The flight followed several months of inspections and refurbishment of SpaceX’s most-flown rocket, a process that included a “recertification” of the booster to prove, at least on paper, that it could fly as many as five more times after completing its 15th launch and landing last December. SpaceX now aims to fly its reusable Falcon 9 boosters as many as 20 times, double the company’s original goal. One of the side boosters on this mission previously supported Arabsat-6A, STP-2, COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2, KPLO, and three Starlink missions, and the second previously supported launch of Arabsat-6A and STP-2.Ī live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.Ĭoverage of the launch can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV.The late-night liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket with another batch of Starlink Internet satellites on Sunday set a new record for the most flights by a SpaceX launch vehicle, with a first-stage booster flying for a 16th time. The 57-minute launch window opens at 7:29 p.m. Also on board this mission is Astranis’s first MicroGEO satellite and Gravity Space’s GS-1 satellite. ![]() CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 28 for a Falcon Heavy launch of the ViaSat-3 Americas mission to geostationary orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 28 for a Falcon Heavy launch of the ViaSat-3 Americas mission to geostationary orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ET from Kennedy Space Center.ĪBOVE VIDEO: SpaceX is targeting Friday, April 28 for a Falcon Heavy launch of the ViaSat-3 Americas mission to geostationary orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Coverage of the launch can be seen on Space Coast Daily TVĪBOVE VIDEO: SpaceX Set for Falcon Heavy Rocket Launch Friday Night at 8:26 p.m.
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