SpaceX successfully launches 52 Starlink satellites
Today, August 10, SpaceX successfully launched 52 more Starlink satellites, making it the first Starlink launch of the month. This was SpaceX’s 35th orbital flight overall and the 21st Starlink mission of 2022. This launch comes days after the July 22 flight, in which 53 Starlink satellites were put into orbit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been actively extending the company’s satellite internet network. For the launch, a reusable Falcon 9 rocket was used.
The launch from Florida’s NASA Kennedy Space Center took occurred at 7:44 AM, according to a report from Space.com. Approximately nine minutes after launch, stage one rockets of the Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth and vertically landed on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. About 15 minutes after launch, the rocket’s upper stage continued to ascend and launched 52 Starlink satellites. The SpaceX official Twitter account also verified the deployment’s success.
To provide high-speed, reliable, and inexpensive internet, SpaceX has begun constructing a massive constellation of Starlink satellites in orbit. The reason for Musk’s ambitious 2022 satellite launch strategy appears to be rapid expansion into areas where Starlink is not yet available. Musk previously published a list of the nations where Starlink’s internet service would be made accessible by SpaceX by the end of the year. After the launch today, Musk tweeted, “Quite the day.”
SpaceX has already launched more than 3,000 Starlink satellites, and more are sure to follow given that the business is authorised to launch up to 12,000 satellites. Musk has also requested approval to launch an additional 30,000 satellites.
Recently, SpaceX has been on fire. Additionally, it tested the engines of its Booster 7 and Ship 24, the company’s deep space transportation system prototypes, today. The business is expected to conduct the first-ever orbital test flight for both spacecraft later this year. Both are a part of its Starship project.
