SpaceX has launched 52 Starlink Internet satellites |
Yesterday, Saturday, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket, put an additional 52 Starlink and two satellites into orbit, then properly landed at sea.
The launch of the Falcon 9 missile marks the company's fifteenth flight this year and is the missile's eighth flight.
The successful launch marks the third time SpaceX has launched one of its 70-meter Falcon 9 rockets in a matter of weeks as the company works to expand the rapidly growing constellation of broadband.
About nine minutes after launch, the first stage of the missile returned to Earth and landed on an independent company operating in the oceans called Of Course I Still Love You.
SpaceX has capitalized on its fleet of aviation-proven engines as all missions fly rescue missiles in 2021, 12 of which carry Starlink satellites.
This flight, called Starlink 27, is somewhat unique as SpaceX launched two satellites towards Tyvak and Capella Space.
SpaceX created the Starlink project with the goal of providing internet coverage around the world while stimulating ambitions in space.
To this end, the company's engineers have developed a set of broadband satellites and flat screen displays that can hover over the ground and send internet coverage to users who can access the service through the built-in user terminals.
The target users of the company are remote or rural users. These users currently have almost no internet connection, but users all over the world can subscribe to the service.
With the successful launch of the new satellite on Saturday, SpaceX put 1,600 Starlink satellites into orbit, surpassing the 1,440 satellites originally owned by the company.
The company has received thousands of official approvals and is expected to provide a full commercial service later this year.
Starlink's service is still in the testing phase, and the company has also opened its website to receive initial inquiries. So far, more than 500,000 users have registered.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk plans more than 40,000 satellites to provide internet services to terrestrial users.