SpaceX took a couple weeks off, but is ready to send up another batch of
Starlink satellites to add its expanding internet empire.
The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with 46 Starlinks on board is scheduled
for 9:44 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch will take
a southerly trajectory with the first stage booster, making its 11th flight,
attempting a landing the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic
Ocean.
Space Launch Delta 45′s weather squadron predicts a 90% chance for good
weather with the only concerns being cumulus clouds.
The company's last launch ran into issues after its payload of 49 Starlink
satellites were deployed, and 40 of them were dragged back down to burn up
in Earth's atmosphere after fallout from geomagnetic storm.
That launch was Feb. 3, the sixth for SpaceX so far in 2022, and third
Starlink launch of the year. Company founder Elon Musk said last week the
company is aiming for 50 launches this year, which would surpass 2021′s
record of 31 from Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center and Vandenburg Space Force
Base in California.
This new batch will push the number of Starlinks launched to more than
2,100, but more than 200 of those never became or are no longer operational.
This flight will be the 22nd Starlink flight overall since the first test
versions of the 570-pound satellites were sent up in 2018. The company
currently has approval to place 4,408 Starlinks into service, each of which
orbit at around 341 miles altitude.
The Starlink program at full capacity looks to provide the company billions
of dollars from millions of Internet subscribers across the planet and help
pay for SpaceX's missions to Mars.
SpaceX is seeking Federal Communications Commission approval to increase its
Starlink presence to about 30,000 with future launches on board its
in-the-works Starship rocket. Other companies such as Amazon are also
planning constellations of satellites that will increase the potential for
debris in space.
The Union of Concerned Scientists maintain a database of the number of
operational satellites in orbit. As of Jan. 1, there were 4,852 in orbit,
including 4,078 in low Earth orbit.
Source: Link
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Space & Astrophysics