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First 60 @SpaceX Starlink satellites loaded into the Falcon fairing. Tight fit. pic.twitter.com/gZq8gHg9uK
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2019
Each flat screen includes multiple high-speed antennas and a single solar panel. Each satellite weighs only 227 kg, so it is light and thin. Despite their small size, they have many operational capabilities. Hall thrusters, initially powered by krypton, adjust their position into orbit and maintain the expected altitude. Each satellite is also equipped with a Startracker navigation system, which will allow SpaceX to accurately point them out.
There is a lot of waste floating up there, even in the lower satellite orbit. A collision is therefore a risk, but the satellites are able to locate debris in orbit and can avoid it autonomously. In addition, under current safety standards, 95% of all components of this design burn in the Earth's atmosphere at the end of each satellite's lifecycle – SpaceX wants to achieve this goal 100%.
The launch window is currently scheduled for 10:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm PT today, Wednesday May 15th, although a backup window is in place for tomorrow, in case last minute adjustments should be made ( a lazy launch would not be out of the ordinary for SpaceX). These 60 inaugural satellites mark the beginning of the creation of Starlink's global Internet connection, which will have approximately 12,000 satellites once the network is completed by mid-2020. Watch the live launch here.
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