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SpaceX will launch 60 new Starlink Internet satellites into orbit on a used rocket today (April 22) and you can see it all live online.
A veteran Falcon 9 rocket is slated to launch SpaceX’s Starlink 6 mission, NASA’s historic Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A in Florida at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT). The booster of the first stage of the rocket has flown three times before.
Despite its name, Starlink 6 is actually the seventh batch of satellites to launch into space for SpaceX’s growing mega-constellation of broadband internet. The company launched its first Starlink flight in May 2019, with a second flight last November and four more since January this year.
SpaceX currently has 360 satellites in orbit. The Starlink 6 mission will increase that number to 420.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network is a megacontellation designed to provide fast and affordable Internet access to people around the world, particularly in remote or unattended locations. The satellites connect to a grounding box to link users to the Internet. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk demonstrated the technology last year.
SpaceX’s initial plan is a constellation of 12,000 Starlink satellites, with the request for permission to expand that fleet to 30,000 satellites if necessary. Last year, SpaceX Musk said that it would take at least 400 Starlink satellites to start basic service, with 800 satellites needed for “moderate” coverage.
With Starlink 6, SpaceX will exceed that goal of 400 satellites. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the Starlink service will likely start in 2020.
As is typical for SpaceX releases, Starlink 6 features various components that make a return trip to space. The Falcon 9 first-stage booster launched three missions, including SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft flight test in March 2019, a three-satellite mission to Canada later that year, and Starlink’s fourth launch earlier in the year. 2020.
The mission payload, the two-piece nose that protects Starlink satellites during launch, is also fully reused. Half of the fairing was captured by a SpaceX recovery boat equipped with a giant net, while the other was pulled from the sea from a previous flight. Reusing payload fairings can save at least $ 6 million per flight, SpaceX said.
Today’s mission will mark SpaceX’s third flight with recycled payload fairings and the fifth time a Falcon 9 booster has made a fourth flight.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect a new 3:30 p.m. EDT launch time for SpaceX’s Starlink satellites.
Email Tariq Malik at [email protected] or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.
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