{"id":11813,"date":"2021-03-11T21:54:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T13:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-adds-more-satellites-to-starlink-internet-fleet\/"},"modified":"2021-03-11T21:54:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-11T13:54:12","slug":"spacex-adds-more-satellites-to-starlink-internet-fleet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-adds-more-satellites-to-starlink-internet-fleet\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX adds more satellites to Starlink internet fleet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:13 a.m. EST (0813 GMT) Thursday. Credit: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Continuing a high-tempo launch cadence, SpaceX delivered another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites to orbit early Thursday after a seemingly flawless liftoff from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.<\/p>\n

Then Falcon 9 rocket\u2019s nine Merlin 1D main engines roared to life and the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) launcher climbed away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:13:29 a.m. EST (0813:29 GMT) Thursday, beginning SpaceX\u2019s seventh mission of the year from Florida\u2019s Space Coast.<\/p>\n

Throttling up to generate 1.7 million pounds of thrust, the nine main engines guided the Falcon 9 rocket on a course northeast from the Florida coast. The rocket shed its first stage booster and payload shroud in the first few minutes of the flight, and then Falcon 9\u2019s upper stage flew up the East Coast before reaching a preliminary parking orbit.<\/p>\n

The 15-story first stage descended to a spot-on landing on the football field-size deck of SpaceX\u2019s drone ship \u201cJust Read the Instructions\u201d parked in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. The successful landing ended the reusable booster\u2019s sixth trip to space and back since debuting on SpaceX\u2019s first launch of astronauts last year.<\/p>\n

Two recovery ships were also stationed in the Atlantic to retrieve both halves of the Falcon 9\u2019s payload fairing.<\/p>\n

After flying halfway around the world, the Falcon 9\u2019s second stage reignited its engine to inject the 60 Starlink satellites into the proper orbit for deployment. The rocket spun up to release the satellites all at once at 4:18 a.m. EST (0918 GMT) as it sailed at an altitude of 180 miles (291 kilometers) just south of New Zealand.<\/p>\n

SpaceX officials confirmed the Falcon 9 rocket placed the Starlink satellites into an on-target orbit, concluding the company\u2019s 110th Falcon 9 launch since 2010, and the 94th straight successful flight by SpaceX\u2019s Falcon rocket family.<\/p>\n

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A Falcon 9 rocket streaks downrange from Cape Canaveral early Thursday in this long exposure photo. Credit: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Thursday\u2019s launch, SpaceX has dedicated 21 of those Falcon 9 missions to carrying satellites for the company\u2019s Starlink internet network. The 60 new Starlinks launched Thursday bring the total number of Starlink satellites launched to date to 1,265 spacecraft, including prototype platforms not designed for operational service.<\/p>\n

More than 1,100 of the Starlink satellites appear to be functioning, discounting test spacecraft and failed satellites, according to a catalog maintained by Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and widely-respected tracker of space activity.<\/p>\n

The Starlink network could eventually number more than 10,000 satellites, but the first tranche of Starlinks will have 1,584 satellites orbiting 341 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth on paths tilted 53 degrees to the equator. SpaceX has approval from the Federal Communications Commission for around 12,000 Starlink satellites at a range of altitudes and inclinations, all within a few hundred miles of the planet. The low altitude enables the satellites to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to customers, and helps ensure the spacecraft naturally re-enter the atmosphere faster than if they flew farther from Earth.<\/p>\n

Starlink is already providing interim beta service across high latitude regions, such as the northern United States, Canada, and England. More Starlink launches this year will enable an expanded coverage area.<\/p>\n

SpaceX announced earlier his week that the Starlink beta service will soon begin reaching customers in Germany, New Zealand, and in other regions of the United Kingdom, including Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England. Those areas could receive beta service in the \u201ccoming weeks,\u201d SpaceX said.<\/p>\n