The reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle was used for the 15th time. He again made a vertical controlled landing on an offshore drone platform.
Another successful launch of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle with another batch of 54 mini-satellites for the orbital constellation of the global Internet coverage network of the Starlink system took place in the United States. This was announced by the developer company SpaceX.
The launch was carried out from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday, December 17 at 16:32 US East Coast time (at 23:32 Kyiv time – ed.).
This is the 67th launch of a group of Internet satellites since May 2019 as part of the Starlink project. A few hours later, SpaceX announced the successful deployment of satellites into orbit.
In total, the company has launched 3,558 Starlink satellites. Some of them failed or went out of orbit. But about 3.2 thousand devices remain in orbit in order.
In turn, the first reusable stage of the launch vehicle, which has been used 15 times, made a vertical controlled landing on the Just Read the Instructions marine drone platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
lift off! pic.twitter.com/nOImtbIbpr
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 17, 2022
Falcon 9 first stage lands on Just Read the Instructions droneship, completing this booster’s 15th launch and landing! pic.twitter.com/0AXCXTSPRb
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 17, 2022
SpaceX is the world’s largest satellite operator. Internet from Starlink is available to users in 41 countries, including North America, Europe, Far East and Australia. The services of these satellites are actively used by the military, including in Ukraine.
In the future, SpaceX plans to deploy an orbital constellation of 12,000 spacecraft (and subsequently 30,000) to create a full-scale network that will provide Earth’s inhabitants with broadband Internet access anywhere in the world. The total investment in the project is estimated at $10 billion.
Earlier, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft sent mini-laboratories of Ukrainian schoolchildren to the ISS. This happened as part of the School Space Experiments Program (SSEP).
Falcon 9 was sent into orbit to study Earth’s hydrosphere
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Source: korrespondent
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.