In a single year, the private space company broke its own record for most launches. The company has successfully launched 32 times this year, more than any other company.
The number of launches into space by the company is impressive. On July 22, the company successfully launched 46 Starlink satellites using its Falcon 9 rocket, which blasted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. There are still five months left in the year, and this is the 32nd successful launch by the company. This is a new record for any launch provider.
Friday's launch was scrubbed due to the Falcon 9 computer detecting an anomaly just 46 seconds before lift off. The launch took place the next day.
The Starlink constellation is intended to bring high-speed internet to the world. Friday's launch expanded Starlink's service to 36 countries, including Luxembourg, St. Martin, and St. Barthelemy, according to the company. On Sunday, the company launched an additional 53 Starlink satellites into the sky, adding to the successful launch of the previous day. There are roughly 2, 660 satellites in the constellation.
The company was founded in 2002 and is still going strong today. The first orbital test of the company's gigantic Starship rocket is currently being conducted in Boca Chica, Texas.
Astronomers are concerned with the risk that Starlink poses to views of space, which is one of the reasons why it has not come without its flaws. Since the satellites reflect sunlight, they create streaks in the data collected by ground-based observatories, and this noise could get worse with Musk's recent announcement of bigger, more powerful satellites.
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