[ad_1]
William Harwood / CBS News
SpaceX fired a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on Tuesday night, marking the company’s 100th overall and 23rd so far this year. The rocket propelled another round of 60 Starlink Internet Satellites in orbit using a first stage performing a record seventh flight.
the last batch of Starlinks has pushed the total number launched to date to 955 as SpaceX continues to build a global constellation of Internet relay satellites designed to provide high-speed services to subscribers all over the planet. Thousands of additional satellites are planned.
The nine engines of the well-traveled thruster ignited at 9:13 p.m. ET, accelerated to full power, and quickly pushed the slender rocket away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station atop a brilliant, flaming exhaust jet .
Takeoff was three days later than scheduled due to high winds that delayed a first stage engine test firing and severe weather conditions in the offshore booster recovery area.
But it was clear on Tuesday as the 30-story Falcon 9 soared over the Atlantic Ocean, putting on a spectacular early evening spectacle for area residents and tourists alike.
The first stage of the rocket made a record-breaking seventh voyage out of the lower atmosphere, becoming the “fleet leader” of SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Two and a half minutes after launch, nine Merlin 1D engines stopped and it separated from the second stage of the Falcon 9.
As the second stage continued into orbit using the power of its unique vacuum motor, the first stage plunged back to Earth, guiding itself to a perfect landing on a standby SpaceX drone. Touchdown marked the company’s 67th booster recovery success, its 46th at sea, and its second landing in two days.
Elon muskSpaceX founder and chief designer said the first stages of Falcon 9’s “Block 5” should be able to fly up to 10 times without major overhaul and up to 100 times with scheduled inspections and maintenance.
Either way, a few seconds after the booster landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, the Falcon 9’s second stage shut down and six minutes later, the 60 Starlink Internet Relay Satellites were released. Been released to steal on their own. .
SpaceX is currently testing the initial Starlink service in parts of Canada and the northern U.S. The company has regulatory approval to launch thousands of satellites in six orbital planes to provide continuous broadband to commercial receivers all over Earth. , and not just at the higher latitudes currently served.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, an independent space analyst, said it appears 54 Starlinks have been deliberately desorbed to date, six more have returned after possible failures, and another 18 do not appear to be maneuvering. According to that number, 817 Starlinks were supposed to be up and running ahead of Sunday’s launch.
[ad_2]
Source link