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SpaceX successfully launched another 60 Starlink Internet satellites today for a total of 1,145, bringing it closer to its original target of 1,440. However, in a rare failure, the Falcon 9’s first stage booster failed. to land on the “Of course I still love you” drone ship, probably falling into the ocean instead. “It’s a shame we didn’t get this booster back but our second leg is still on a nominal course,” SpaceX engineer Jessica Anderson said.
SpaceX has yet to say what happened to the booster (B1059, RIP), but it appeared to have a problem near the end of its landing burn. It had already flown two ISS refueling missions, launched a US spy satellite and an Argentine Earth observation satellite, and launched another Starlink mission. While B1059 failed to make it home on its sixth mission, SpaceX has always said the main launch mission is essential and landings are more or less a bonus.
Despite the failure, SpaceX could launch 60 more Starlink satellites as early as Wednesday. Elon Musk said about 500 to 800 satellites would need to be in orbit before his internet service can be deployed. While the initial target was around 1,440 satellites, SpaceX ultimately plans to launch 12,000 in total.
Public beta tests for Starlink Internet began in late 2020 for people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with more than 10,000 customers already using the service in the span of three months, according to a filing from SpaceX FCC. SpaceX has started accepting deposits of $ 99 for the service and recently told the Australian government that it will be able to cover the main continent by early 2021 and the outer territories by 2022.
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