SpaceX has over 1.5 million Starlink internet subscribers in over 60 countries, showcasing the global reach of the company's broadband offering. The network has demonstrated to be useful in remote and rural communities where internet used to be unreliable or completely unavailable. Over the weekend, SpaceX achieved a significant milestone by deploying over 5,000 Starlink satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), establishing the world's largest broadband constellation. The achievement was realized with the launch of another fleet of 22 Starlink internet satellites on August 26. The Falcon 9 rocket took off at 9:05 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/SMg27dBgmd
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2023
The successful launch of Starlink Group 6-11 mission marked the 100th operational Starlink mission, bringing the total number of Starlink satellites launched to 5,005. This has positioned around 4,661 satellites in orbit around Earth, according to data by Astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
The utilized Falcon 9 first stage booster, identified as B1080-3, underwent its third flight for this mission. The booster previously launched ESA Euclid, Ax-2, and now one Starlink mission. After stage separation, the booster made a controlled landing on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship located in the Atlantic Ocean. This achievement marked the 220th successful landing of an orbital-class rocket for SpaceX and the 192nd reuse of a Falcon 9 first-stage booster. This underscores SpaceX's dedication to reusability and cost-effective space operations.
Falcon 9’s first stage has landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship pic.twitter.com/7AXYbB63Vw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2023
The launch featured the 14th deployment of the Starlink V2 'Mini' satellites, characterized by their larger size and fourfold increased bandwidth compared to previous models. Although the Starlink V2 satellites were originally intended to be launched via the fully-reusable Starship vehicle that is currently under development, SpaceX opted to create a compact version of the satellites to facilitate launch on the Falcon 9 due to delays in Starship's debut. The company is working to achieve sending the rocket-ship to orbit before the year ends. Read more: SpaceX's Super Heavy Booster 9 Successfully Completes Second Static Fire Test Ahead of Flight [VIDEO]
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Featured Images Source: SpaceX
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
