The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday launched 60 more Starlink Internet relay satellites, boosting the total number launched to date to 895 when the company built them. Planned constellation Thousands of people designed to provide global high speed broadband service.
William Harwood / CBS News
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Running two days late due to an on-board camera issue, the first flight of the Falcon 9’s twice-flying first lightning struck at 11:30 a.m., with a 40- to 229-foot-high rocket paddling at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. . It was the California rocket builder’s 19th launch so far this year and its 15th Starlink flight.
The exit from the lower atmosphere went smoothly and, like SpaceX, the first phase of the Falcon 9 flew by itself for landing on an off-shore drone ship. After two second-stage engine firing, the company’s 95th successful Falcon 9 flight and the 100th overall, 60 Starlink satellites were released for manual flight.
Video: Space station crew returns to Earth after 6-month mission (CBS News)
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SpaceX’s Starlink operation has regulatory approval to launch more than 12,000 small satellites into multiple orbiting aircraft, providing commercial users with line-of-sight access to space-based broadband signals from any point on Earth. The company is already testing the service in selected areas.
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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has moved away from Cape Canaveral, the 15th batch of Starlink Internet satellites, and the total number launched today has risen to 895. / Credit: William Harwood / CBS News
With the start of Saturday, SpaceX has put 895 Starlinks into orbit, 180 of them – more satellites than any other company owns – in less than three weeks.
Well-known spaceflight analyst, astrophysicist Jonathan McCadwell reports that 53 53 Starlinks have been deliberately deorbated these days, re-entered on their own after two failures and another 30 no longer appear to be maneuvering. Including the 60 launched on Saturday, it has 820 potentially operational Starlinks in orbit.
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